BY TOM MOSES
Governor Godswill Akpabio is known to be generous.
He is said to be very free with money. And,
consequently, money never constitutes a stumbling
block whenever he sets to achieve something. This
has won him accolades with regard to many of his
achievements in his state.
But could he have parted with N5billion just to ensure
his preferred candidate won the last governorship
election in Akwa-Ibom State? Check out this scene in
Uyo, the state capital last week:
It was an unusual and tensions-soaked meeting at
the Akwa-Ibom State secretariat of the Independent
National Electoral Commission, INEC, along Udo
Udoma Avenue, Uyo last Thursday and the agenda of
the meeting was ‘Threat To Life’.
The Akwa-Ibom State Resident Electoral
Commissioner-REC, Barrister Austin Okojie had
summoned the staff including security operatives and
Youth Corps members attached to the commission to
inform them of how he had been rattled by repeated
anonymous telephone calls all of which, he said,
conveyed death sentences on him by a one of the
security staff. The said staff was demanding his
share of the Five Billion Naira (N5BN) the REC
allegedly received from Governor Godswill Akpabio on
behalf of the staff of the commission. The INEC boss
was being told to be fair to others and let them have
a piece of the cake or face horrendous
consequences.
As human, Okojie, the state INEC boss, said he was
engulfed with fear such that he lost his composure
even though he did not know the character behind the
treacherous intermittent midnight calls and even
when he was speechless each time the calls came;
the person aggravated his fears by sending text
messages.
At this point, the REC told the staff at the meeting that
he finally decided to call the Department of State
Service (DSS) both in Akwa-Ibom and Abuja, the
Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to complain of the
danger to his life and also the lives of his family
members with whom he had been subjected to
trauma through those midnight calls and text
messages. He said that he was advised by the DSS
to forward the text messages for forensic tests. He
said:
“I don’t know whether this person knows exactly
what N5 Billion looks like in volume! I will collapse if I
see that kind of money. Besides, I don’t think I can
finish that kind of money in my life time. If I should be
in possession of N5BN, I wouldn’t be sitting here
today, I would have travelled out of this country with
my family and settled there to enjoy the money.
“But it is pathetic the way people speculate and
spread false information in this state. I was barely
five days in this state when some sponsored local
newspapers published on their front pages that
Governor Akpabio received me into the state with N5
billion and 2,000 bags of rice.
“I want you to know that I have not received any
gratification or the so called N5billion directly or
indirectly on your behalf from anybody. I am also not
indebted to any of you because all your allowances,
claims and entitlements have been paid up to date”.
He lamented that following the threats which were
often issued at nights, he was no longer feeling safe
and comfortable in the state and may be tempted to
travel home to report his experience to his people in
Edo State.
“Indeed, I am worried and utterly disturbed by those
threats because I have never seen or met the person
threatening me even though he claims to be a staff of
this commission.
“I am now living in total fear of the unknown,
discomfort and danger to my life and members of my
family because I can no longer move about freely as
any other loyal and law-abiding citizen of this
country. I now live in utter fear of the unknown.
“I am so worried that my life and those of members of
my family could be made this miserable by someone I
am not even indebted to and never discussed with or
negotiated any business with officially and unofficially
as all the allowances and claims due every staff had
since been paid”, Okojie lamented.
He therefore used the platform to solicit the
cooperation of the security agencies in the state to
investigate the character behind the threats to his life
for possible prosecution as according to him, if such
perfidious characters were allowed to walk the streets
of the state free, many innocent lives would be
rendered uncomfortable and endangered.
Some of the text messages read: “Oga Okojie, it is a
fool like you that says in your hearts and being, there
is no God, because you are corrupt and have done
abominable works n in you doeth no good (Psalm
14:1). U must reward all the staff of the INEC, AKS
based on the money sent to them by the state
Governor. You want to embezzle it for the sake of
buy’n your cocaine. I am going to open your dirty can
to all the anti-graft agencies.
“Bet me, soon you will go in for it. For the Holy Bible
says whatever a man soweth that is what he shall
reap. You sow to corruption and greed, your reward is
death. Idiot, slowpoke, ino, barawo, ikong ekpo. God
will punish you 100 times including all ur households
and the incoming and the unborn generations, except
you share that money to all the staff”.
When asked to react to the agenda of the meeting,
none of the INEC staff numbering over 300 including
security operatives and Youth Corps members
attached to the commission, could immediately
comment on the issue and it appeared that they were
worried by the ugly development and were in
sympathy with the REC for the psychological trauma
he was subjected to by the threats to his life and
members of his family.
However, two members of the staff summoned the
courage to speak. One said: “Honourable
Commissioner, we are very sorry for what you have
passed through due to those threats. The name of
the staff mentioned is of the security department of
this commission where I am the head. We have never
discussed any such issue collectively as staff of the
security department and we did not mandate him to
do anything on our behalf. But as our father, we plead
that you forgive him because we know that the
purpose of this meeting is to enable us reason
together.
“If the punishment you intend to mete out to him is
too heavy, it is the innocent members of his family or
his dependants who will suffer. Please, let his
punishment be light for him to be able to bear.
Continue to be a father to him believing that he would
turn a new leaf”, the staff pleaded. The same plea
was made by the same speaker even as he berated
the said staff for misconduct.
Coincidentally, the alleged perfidious messages and
calls threatening the life of the REC and members of
his family, were tracked by the Department of State
Service (DSS) in conjunction with the Mobile Phone
Providers and the name of the staff was identified. He
is a security staff with the commission. Even when he
had allegedly destroyed the SIM card after executing
his malicious project, the text messages were said to
have been used to identify the source, location and
the image of the person.
Following this revelation, the DSS was said to have
swung into action and got the suspect apprehended.
Director-General (D-G), Department of State Service,
Akwa-Ibom State, Mr. Toma Minti said the suspect,
Asuquo David has confessed to his deeds and has
been handed over to the police accordingly.
But the Akwa-Ibom State Police Public Relations
Officer (PPRO), Mrs. Cordelia Nwawe did not respond
to phone calls for comment on the issue.
www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/alleged-n5bn-bribe-inec-boss-says-his-life-is-in-danger/

[size=24pt]Makai talk true, I no even read dis thing sef..[/size]

Good for him, once they believe every rumors they heard

Am allergic to long notes
Modilian pls come read and summarize for me
I hate "change"

BeeBeeOoh:
[size=24pt]Makai talk true, I no even read dis thing sef..[/size]

U no go fit read am na..when u no get wetin to tok...
Tanoid oshi

Ok

Buhari will surely jail Tinubu.