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| Mrs Unoma Akpabio ..... 'She and the husband stole billions of dollars from state treasury ' |
By Yusuf Alli and Kazeem Ibrahim
The Department of State Services (DSS) is probing an alleged N2.5 billion governorship election bribery scam in Akwa Ibom State involving some officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
It was learnt last night that the DSS interrogated some INEC officials from Akwa Ibom.
The investigation followed a petition by the All Progressives Congress (APC) through its counsel, Mr. Victor Iyanam.
A highly-placed source, who spoke in confidence, said: “We are already looking into a petition on alleged N2.5 billion scandal involving some top officials and workers of INEC in Akwa Ibom State during the governorship election.
“In fact, the DSS has interacted with some INEC officials, including a top shot. We are also in receipt of photographs of some houses allegedly bought with the bribe sum.
“After the comprehensive investigation, we will release the identities of those investigated.”
It was learnt that some legal officers both in Abuja and Akwa Ibom might be questioned too by the security agency.
“The affected legal officers have shown very scant regard for the orders of the Election Petitions Tribunal,” the source added.
INEC’s Public Relations Officer in Akwa Ibom State Mr. David Edak could not be reached on phone to comment on the list of those quizzed by the DSS in Abuja.
All calls made to his telephone line indicated that it was switched off.
But a source in the INEC office, who pleaded anonymity , said a “top official was invited by the DSS following the petition by the APC that a former governor allegedly bribed the REC N2.5 billion to work against the APC during the governorship poll.
The source said: “Yes, we learnt a top official was invited to explain the N2.5 billion bribery scandal allegedly given to him by the ex-governor. We even gathered that the top official spent close to two days at the DSS office answering questions.”
In the petition, the APC claimed that the bribe was targeted at frustrating the petition of its governorship candidate, Umana Okon Umana.
The petition reads in part: “It has, however unfortunately, come to our notice that the obstinacy of the top INEC official to carry out the tribunal’s orders or cooperate with our client to carry out the inspection owes principally to the fact that N2.5 billion was disbursed to him by a former governor prior to the general elections and the official now feels obliged to complete the corrupt process by doing everything possible to frustrate the governorship petition of the APC candidate, Umana Okon Umana.”
The APC also expressed displeasure that INEC also mutilated some electoral materials.
It added: “It is now obvious that the attitude of the INEC official stems from the irreparable damage he caused to be done to electoral materials in Akwa Ibom State.
“Most electoral materials in Akwa Ibom State were deliberately destroyed; water was deliberately poured into the bags of materials while some were kept under the rain, contrary to the established practice of keeping the materials in envelopes according to their polling units
“We attach samples of electoral materials deliberately mutilated or otherwise destroyed by the corrupt and irresponsible orders of the INEC official. Could this be allowed to be business as usual, especially for the change we desire as a nation?”
“The conduct of the INEC top official; absolutely criminal in content, reckless in execution and done with impunity is not only a breach of public trust, but would have catastrophic consequences if allowed to go unpunished to serve as a deterrent. It is a shame that notwithstanding the large-scale fraud perpetuated by the PDP in Akwa Ibom State, agents of the party and the government in power are still bent on doing more damage to our collective psyche and stand in the way of justice.”
Culled from The Nations
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