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Ini Ememobong, the immediate past commissioner for information in Akwa Ibom State, has described recent corruption allegations against former governor Udom Emmanuel as untrue and unfair.
Mr Ememobong, who made the assertion in a statement made available to reporters in Uyo on Tuesday, said the former governor was not corrupt.
A group, the Network Against Corruption and Trafficking, recently petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, accusing Mr Emmanuel of misappropriation of funds.
In the petition, the group urged the anti-graft agency to investigate the former governor over corrupt practices while he was governor of Akwa Ibom.
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Mr Ememobong, who served as commissioner under the former governor and later under Governor Umo Eno, said that the group had continued to subject Mr Emmanuel to a “sustained vitriolic media trial.”
He accused the petitioners of already passing judgment on the former governor and described the allegation as unfair and questionable.
According to him, the petition purvey allegations that sound more like the “final court judgment” on Mr Emmanuel.
Mr Ememobong said it was untrue that the former governor purchased a house in America with Akwa Ibom Government funds.
“From the period he served as Secretary to the State Government to 2014, when he contest for the governorship, he didn’t receive salary or allowances from the state government.
“He was not also in charge of contract awards or any other money-yielding government enterprise,” he said.
The former commissioner said that the petitioners painted a picture that the only acceptable outcome to them was sending Mr Emmanuel to jail, irrespective of his guilt or innocence.
“Emmanuel was an executive director and chief financial officer of a leading financial institution before becoming governor, he was already a man of means,” he said.
He urged the petitioners to refer to the entries in the state’s statutory account books before making corruption allegations.
Mr Ememobong said that during his reign as governor, Mr Emmanuel voluntarily submitted himself for public scrutiny through live media programmes and engagements with the people.
He said that although it was right to call for accountability, it was unfair to be judgmental.
The former commissioner said the petitioners’ approach only showed that their intention was to harm the image and personality of the former governor.
(NAN)
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