Former Governor Godswill Akpabio, says that only those who lack an understanding of the intricacies of government will accuse him shady dealings while in office.
Senator Akpabio is being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, over alleged financial impropriety and fraud, during his tenure as governor.
Akpabio has been picked up for interrogation twice in the past two days by operatives of the EFCC.
The Senate Minority Leader has however, denied all allegations levelled against him, while proffering explanations for the withdrawals he made.
Speaking through Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Information, Aniekan Umanah, the former governor said: “Every sum withdrawn from a government account is tied to a subhead and there must be a budgetary provision.”
“To attribute fraud to withdrawals, which had the full sanction of government and was accommodated in the budget, is strange, mischievous and untenable. More so, when one understands that there are checks and balances which guide all aspects of government financial administration.”
Furthermore, he said it was untrue that the state government spent N50 billion on the March general elections.
“There was no such provision in the budget of this year and such an amount could not have been paid as an extra-budgetary expenditure and yet salaries and other commitments were met. We challenge the petitioners to provide proof to support this wild allegation. Who was it paid to? How was it paid? Where was it paid? And when was it paid.”
“Senator Akpabio does not own a 25-storey building in Victoria Island or in any part of the world, as alleged by the petitioner. It is also patent falsehood that the house at 22 Probyn Road, Ikoyi belongs to Senator Akpabio.
“It is a rented building which ownership can be verified from the Lagos State Lands Registry.
“Senator Akpabio does not own the properties mentioned in the petition to belong to him. You can verify the ownership of the properties (5 Okokosi Close, Maitama and Plot 28 Colorado Close, Maitama) from the land registry in Abuja,” he said.
“Please do note that the idea that the Akwa Ibom State government received over N2.5 trillion in the eight years of the Akpabio administration is an outrageous lie.
“What this suggests is that the state government received an average of N26 billion monthly for the period. What a lie! From published accounts of disbursement from the Federation Account, Akwa Ibom State never received up to N26 billion in any month throughout the period”.
