Director General of the Akpabio/Barau Stability Group campaigning for Senate Presidency for Akpabio has been berated for comparing Senator Godswill Akpabio with Nigeria’s new President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu on issues of corruption.
The Coalition of Yoruba Defenders described Ndume’s comparison of the series of corruption cases being faced by Akpabio with what Asiwaju Bola Tinubu passed through before he was elected president as an insult not only to President Tinubu, Yoruba race but to the entire country as a whole.
In a statement signed its Chairman, Dr Olukunle Bademosi and released to the media in Ibadan Friday, the group stated that it was wrong and insulting for Ndume to have dragged the name of the president into the challenges being faced by Senator Akpabio in his bid to become President of the Senate maintaining that there was no basis for the comparison.
According to the Yoruba Defenders added that Senator Ndume went too far by mentioning the President’s name in his defense of the humongous corruption cases against the former Governor of Akwa Ibom State which had led the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to invite Senator Akpa severally to his office for interrogations.
Senator Godswill Akpabio, Dr, Bademosi said “ is known worldwide to be at present facing corruption charges and has been invited to meet officials of the anti-graft commission, EFCC by Tuesday, May 9, 2023 over cases of money laundry and theft running to billions of Naira.
“Among other allegations, Godswill Akpabio has been alleged of perpetrating a 40b Naira fraud when he headed the Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC.
“In 2020, the Senate and the House of Representatives resolved to probe the alleged 40 billion financial recklessness of the Interim Management Committees of the NDD.
“Also, there were allegations of over 86 billion Naira contract scams involving the senator –elect and a former acting Managing Director of NDDC, Prof Kemebbradikumo Pondei which the EFCC Has been investigating.
The EFCC had in the pats arrested Godswill Akpabio over the alleged theft of 108.billion Naira of Akwa Ibom funds.
The EFCC had earlier invited Akpabio to appear for questioning on March 29, but his lawyer, Umeh Kalu, SAN, in a letter to the anti-graft agency claimed that his client was suffering from pneumonia and cardiac arrhythmia.
“For Senator Ndume to now be comparing the aspirant with the President of Nigeria who was never accused of sleaze either while serving as the governor of Lagos State or after serving the state or invited for any interrogation of any such i6 years after leaving office is absurd to say the least”
The Yoruba Defenders advised Ndume and Akpabio to carry their corrupt-stinking baggage without smearing others with their tainted brush and honor the invitation of the EFCC to clear their names.
According to the group, no amount of campaign and insults on exalted and the highest offices in the land could exonerate Akpabio from his corruption-laden baggage.
The Coalition maintained it would be foolhardy for any reasonable person to suggest that a person with corruption charges be made the number three man in the country.
Ndume had described the allegations against Akpabio as similar to allegations made against President Bola Tinubu during the presidential campaigns.
The Yoruba Defenders however pointed out that there was never any allegation of sleaze against the president and neither was he ever invited for interrogations talk less of dodging EFCC invitations at any time.
The group, therefore, cautioned Senator Ndume and his group never to drag the name of the nation’s president in his failed move to install a corrupt-stinking senator as the President of the Senate again adding that any further mention of the name of President Bola Tinubu on the matter would attract serious sanctions from the group.
“Morning shows the day. Akpabio and his people have not assumed the leadership of the senate and yet they have started tarnishing the image of the President of Nigeria, one can only imagine what they would do when power gets to their hands
The group, therefore called on all the senators-elect from Yoruba land and all the parts of the country to vote for only credible and unblemished senators-elect without any case with the anti-graft agencies as their presiding officers.
DR OLUKUNLE BADEMOSI
PRESIDENT, COALITION OF YORUBA DFENDERS
