Count Me Out Of Sen Akpan's Travails With EFCC – Gov Emmanuel

Apparently worried by growing rumour in Akwa Ibom State on his alleged involvement in Senator Bassey Akpan's current travails with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) Governor Udom Emmanuel has denied any involvement in the saga.

Obong Bassey Akpan', popularly known as OBA and governorship candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) is facing a legal battle with the antigraft agency over alleged N204 billion money laundering deal while serving as the commissioner for finance and chairman of the state's Inter-ministerial Direct Labour Coordinating Committee (IDLCC), during former Governor Godswill Akpabio's era (20072015).

The Federal High Court sitting in Uyo, the state capital, presided over by Justice Agatha Okeke, our Correspondent gathered, would soon deliver judgement on the matter.

Ahead of the judgement, Emmanuel has washed his hands off the case, saying

"I know nothing about the corruption case as the anti-graft agency is doing its vested duties."

It was at the inauguration of two new Airbus-A320 Aircraft to boost the fleet of the state owned Airline, Ibom Air, at the Victor Attah International Airport, Uyo, on Tuesday, where the governor took time off to urge those he described as blackmailers to "face your cases and sort out yourselves", emphasising that "I came for governance and would focus on bringing dividends and benefits to the people."

Governor Emmanuel disclosed that he has received several calls lately from friends and associates on the insinuations that he is trying to jail a governorship candidate, and said he was not a judge and knows nothing about the facts of the matter being investigated as the trial preceded his assumption of office as the state governor.

“I'm reading on the internet, some candidates of some parties are saying that the governor want to imprison them.

“It is total lies because I am not that type of a governor. I don't even know the facts of the cases they have with EFCC.