‘Petition against former Akwa Ibom Gov, Emmanuel, questionable, unfair’

The immediate past Commissioner for Information in Akwa Ibom, Ini Ememobong, has slammed those who petitioned a former governor of the state, Mr Udom Emmanuel, saying the ex-governor is being subjected to a “sustained vitriolic media trial.”

Ememobong described the alleged media trial of Emmanuel as unfair and questionable.

The Guardian reports that a group known as the Network Against Corruption and Trafficking (NACAT) had petitioned Emmanuel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), alleging misappropriation of funds.

The group also used social media platforms to launch attacks against him before addressing a press conference in Abuja after submitting the petition to the EFCC.

But in a statement in Uyo, Ememobong, who also served as Information Commissioner in Emmanuel’s administration, said the petitioners had already passed judgment instead of asking questions.

“The media trial purveys allegations that sounded more like final court judgments. For example, they accuse Mr. Udom Emmanuel of purchasing a house in America with funds from the Akwa Ibom State Government while serving as Secretary to the State Government.

“Unknown to them, from 2013, when Mr Udom Emmanuel was appointed, till 2014, when he resigned to contest for the governorship, he didn’t receive a salary or any allowance from the state government, and he was not in charge of contract awards or any other money-yielding government enterprise,” Ememobong said.

According to the former commissioner, an analysis of the disposition and demands of the petitioners paints a picture that the only acceptable outcome for them is sending Udom Emmanuel to jail, irrespective of his guilt or innocence.

He noted that long before coming into government, Emmanuel, as an Executive Director and former Chief Financial Officer of a leading financial institution like Zenith Bank, was already a man of means, like bankers of his calibre.

“We concede that while these are not an assurance that someone of means cannot commit fraud, it is, however, an indication of existing wealth prior to public sector exposure,” he maintained.

He said the petitioners might have either neglected or intentionally refused to make any reference to the entries in the statutory books of account by that administration, rather preferring to make high claims of fraud involving humongous sums, playing to the emotions rather than the reason of the populace.

“It is needful to state that during the tenure of that administration, apart from the statutory channels of accountability, Governor Udom Emmanuel, as he then was, voluntarily submitted himself to public accountability through live media engagements with the citizens via the programme.

“The Governor Speaks, in addition to frequent media chats with all journalists in the state. These engagements were aired live and uncensored.

“It is my view that a sincere demand for accountability must be done with an open mind rather than a judgmental mindset, or else the petitioners will be blinded by their passion against the truth.

“Every time people have used deep anger in the prosecution of any matter, it has always turned to persecution, and one of the earliest examples is recorded in the Bible, where the accusers of Christ insisted on his death even when Pilate found no guilt in him.

“They even preferred the release of a convicted criminal to the acquittal of an innocent man who came to serve and save them.

“In Nigeria, former Vice President Alex Ekwueme was accused of corruption along with other politicians of his time and incarcerated. After his trial, he was discharged and acquitted, but his good name had already been stained.

“It is for this purpose that the law provides for and upholds the presumption of innocence of an accused person until convicted.

“The question for the petitioners is: with the current modus operandi adopted by you, if Mr Udom Emmanuel is exonerated of these accusations, how will you remedy the harm done to his person and personality?” Ememobong queried.