Emmanuel Not Arrested By EFCC But Honoured Invitation – Aide
Media Aide to former Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State, Barr. Stephen Abia said Tuesday’s visit of Mr Udom Emmanuel to the Head office of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) is purely a routine affair.
According to him, “He did it seamlessly in his undaunted spirit of patriotism and sense of responsibility”.
The Aide, in a public statement made available to journalists in Uyo on Tuesday, explained that it is worth emphasizing that this invitation has been extended to thousands of Nigerians, both the rich and the not-so-rich, political and corporate titans. “An invitation, therefore, is not a conviction,” he added.
He highlighted, “A section of the media, egged on by Mr. Emmanuel’s traducers and political adversaries, has made the invitation seem like he was convicted. Dispassionate minds need to note the elementary distinctions between an invitation and honouring same, and an arrest which demands some legal mechanics.
He added, “Mr. Udom Emmanuel had since Tuesday evening left the EFCC headquarters in Abuja to his home. He was not detained, it must be emphasized, as was reported yesterday by a section of the press.
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“As a statesman, Mr. Udom Emmanuel is open to interactions within the confines of the law as one who has nothing to hide dreads no query”.
He recalled, “Mr. Udom Emmanuel presided over a robust growth in Akwa Ibom State. He faced two harsh economic Environments: the economic meltdown that occurred shortly after he was sworn-in in 2015, which saw the price of oil drop to historic lows, and the COVID-19 pandemic that ravaged the world shortly after he was sworn in for a second term.
“In spite of these, he presided over eight years of economic growth that saw many expansions in the infrastructural profile of the state, earning Akwa Ibom the singular distinction of the state with the best road
network of all the subnationals in the nation”.
Barr. Abia emphasized that the former governor established Ibom Air, which today, has been adjudged the best airline in Nigeria, and ran a deeply transparent government where the budgets and government expenditures were regularly published.
“His performance was applauded across party lines, leading to the award of the Commander of the Order of Nigeria (CON) bestowed on him by the immediate past President and Commander-in-Chief, Muhammadu Buhari,, despite being a Governor elected on the platform of the PDP”.
