The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, has denied giving $5million bribe to the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami and others to facilitate the appointment of a sole administrator for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The embattled NDDC sole administrator, Effiong Akwa, who hails from the same state – Akwa Ibom State – with Mr Akpabio, was appointed into a previous interim management as a replacement for the late director of finance, Ibanga Etang, who died of COVID-19.
There have been several protests, especially from the Ijaw ethnic group, against the NDDC after President Muhammadu Buhari in December sacked the former interim management and left behind Mr Akwa, whom he elevated to the position of a sole administrator.
Some people, including members of the former interim management, believe Mr Akpabio manipulated the system to edge out others from the NDDC leadership in order to have absolute control of the commission, through Mr Akwa.
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They believe that Mr Akwa’s appointment negates the principle of rotation of the NDDC leadership among the nine states that make up the Niger Delta region.
Mr Akpabio, in a statement issued by his media aide, Anietie Ekong, denounced some publications which alleged that he gave a $5million bribe to the attorney general, Mr Malami, and others to get Mr Akwa appointed sole administrator.
The statement said:
The attention of the Honourable Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio has been drawn to a piece of fake news which claimed that Senator Akpabio paid $5 million bribe to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami and others to secure the appointment of a Sole Administrator for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The story is a desperate attempt by some unscrupulous bloggers to impugn the integrity of the Honourable Minister of Niger Delta Affairs and the Honourable Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami as the claim is not only spurious but utterly ridiculous.
