The Media Assistant to the immediate past governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, Steven Abia, has stated that his principal is unbothered about allegations of corruption levelled against him by a group, Network Against Corruption and Trafficking, NACAT.
Henzodaily reports that NACAT had petitioned both the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC ) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Crimes Commission (ICPC) against Udom, urging that the eight-year tenure of the former governor be thoroughly investigated.
The group alleged that based on its investigation, the sum of ₦700 billion remained unaccounted for during Udom’s 8 years tenure
In the petition dated January 21, 2025, signed by its operational manager, Stanley Ugabe and addressed to the chairmen of the two anti-graft agencies respectively, NACAT alleged wanton corruption and embezzlement of public funds orchestrated by Udom.
However, Abia, while fielding questions from journalists on Thursday regarding the issue, described NACAT as a faceless group that resorts to blackmail to extort money from politicians.
Describing the allegations as malicious and baseless, Abia appealed to Akwa Ibom residents to disregard the accusations against Udom.
He said, “The immediate past governor of Akwa Ibom State has been maliciously accused, so we are here to tell you that those allegations against my boss are unfounded. So I implore you, Akwa Ibom people to disregard, what they are saying. Those allegations are not true. The people saying those things don’t even have the facts.
“They are faceless people from nowhere trying to dent his reputation. We have never heard of that name. You will agree with me that this NACAT never existed before now, so you can’t even trace them. The name just came up to dent this man. And some people blackmail politicians to make money. We know some people benefit from doing this kind of thing.
“This is a man who keeps records meticulously. And then the papers as you have seen, every single project executed throughout his tenure, from day one to the last day, the records are there, and they are excellently kept. So my boss is unperturbed. He worked with an audit firm so he knows his left from his right.
“The man is unruffled. There’s no cause for alarm. And I want to tell you that we have not received any petition, notice or letter from any of the anti-graft agencies. All we are reacting to is what you have also seen on social media. That’s all..And we are expecting that the ICPC and the EFCC go ahead and do their work fairly”