Barrister Steven Abia, Media Assistant to the immediate past governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, has dismissed allegations of corruption levelled against his boss by the Network Against Corruption and Trafficking as baseless and malicious.
Speaking to journalists on Thursday, Abia described NACAT as a faceless organisation engaging in blackmail to extort money from politicians. He urged Akwa Ibom residents to disregard the accusations, asserting that they lack credibility and evidence.
His statement read, “The immediate past governor of Akwa Ibom State has been maliciously accused, so we are here to tell you that those allegations against my boss are unfounded. So I implore you, Akwa Ibom people, to disregard what they are saying. Those allegations are not true. The people saying those things don’t even have the facts.
“They are faceless people from nowhere trying to dent his reputation. We have never heard of that name. You will agree with me that this NACAT never existed before now, so you can’t even trace them. The name just came up to dent this man. And some people blackmail politicians to make money. We know some people benefit from doing this kind of thing.”
Abia emphasised Udom Emmanuel’s accomplishments during his tenure, highlighting the numerous projects executed across the state. He presented documents detailing these projects and described the former governor as an accountable, meticulous, and transparent leader.
“My boss did his work very well. Throughout his time, he touched every area in Akwa Ibom State. There’s no place that we did not have projects executed. The documents are here before you. The facts are here, and we have loads of them. And that endeared him to the people. Our people love him,” he said.
He continued: “This is a man who keeps records meticulously. And then the papers, as you have seen, every single project executed throughout his tenure, from day one to the last day, the records are there, and they are excellently kept.
“So my boss is unperturbed. He worked with an audit firm, so he knows his left from his right. The man is unruffled. There’s no cause for alarm. And I want to tell you that we have not received any petition, notice, or letter from any of the anti-graft agencies. All we are reacting to is what you have also seen on social media. That’s all. And we are expecting that the ICPC and the EFCC go ahead and do their work fairly.”
Recall that NACAT had petitioned both the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, calling for an investigation into Udom Emmanuel’s eight-year tenure as governor.
In the petition dated January 21, 2025, and signed by its operational manager, Stanley Ugabe, NACAT alleged that N700 billion remained unaccounted for during Emmanuel’s tenure. The group accused the former governor of engaging in “wanton corruption and embezzlement of public funds.”
The petition has yet to elicit a formal response from the anti-graft agencies.
