By Ogenyi Ogenyi, Uyo
A former Minister of Lands and Housing, Chief Nduese Essien, has described as laughable insinuations in some quarters that the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, is stoking the fire to nail former governor Udom Emmanuel in the petition against him to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission.
Addressing journalists in his Eket country home Eket, yesterday, the former House of Representatives member, said Akpabio is too preoccupied with national matters and denied any ethnic dimension to the crisis.
Petition by the Network Against Corruption and Trafficking to petition EFCC and ICPC, over alleged mismanagement of funds during the administration of Udom Emmanuel in Akwa Ibom State, has generated controversy in the state.
Some politicians have alleged that the Senate President is behind the scene of the crisis, prompting ethic dimension or coloration to the crisis.
But Essien who noted that Akpabio has had his own share of EFCC scrutiny stated that corruption, accountability and the rule of law transcend politics and that
the law remains the law, irrespective of where ever one comes from in the state.
“Even more absurd is the attempt to rope in Senate President Godswill Akpabio. As the third-ranking political figure in the country, Senator Akpabio is preoccupied with matters of national importance.
“It is laughable to suggest that he has the time or inclination to entertain a media-driven witch hunt. Furthermore, let us not forget that Senator Akpabio has had a share of scrutiny from anti-graft agencies.
“If we are truly committed to accountability, it should be applied uniformly, without bias or selectivity. Additionally, we must reject the ethnic undertones creeping into this issue.
“Corruption, accountability, and the rule of law transcend ethnic affiliations. Whether one hails from Uyo, Ikot Ekpene, Eket, or any other part of the state, the law remains the law.
“Those purporting to fight corruption must do so with fairness and objectivity, rather than sowing discord along ethnic lines to manipulate public sentiment
“We must differentiate genuine demands for accountability from opportunistic grandstanding. Public officials are, by default, subject to scrutiny by the EFCC, ICPC, and other anti-graft agencies. If there are legitimate grounds for prosecution, due process will take its course. Until then, let us refrain from fueling baseless media trials. And, above all, I will not allow my name to be co-opted into this circus for the sake of sensationalism.” He said.
Regreting that his name has been dragged into the fray, where they alleged he was”hired” to defend Udom Emmanuel on Arise News, the lawmaker lamented that Senator Ita Enang, a former senator has joined in the media frenzy.
He lamented that Enang instead of championing legislative reform to curb corruption is lending credibility to what he called manufactured controversy.
According to him “This media trial has also drawn in Senator Ita Enang—an experienced legislator and seasoned government figure—who has inexplicably aligned himself with Mr Oliver’s tactics. One would have expected a man of his standing to champion substantive legislative reforms against corruption rather than lending credibility to what increasingly appears to be a manufactured controversy.”
Essien who is the political leader of Eket Senatorial district said that the days of fierce disagreement and bickering between governors and their successors were over, adding that the st
