The media aide to former Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Stephen Abia, says his boss is now at home, contrary to media reports that the ex- governor is still in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in Abuja.
Abia in a statement made available to journalists in Uyo, on Wednesday, advised the media, especially social media influencers, to stop peddling false information about the ex- governor.
He explained that the former governor went to the EFCC last Tuesday, on a routine visit in the spirit of patriotism.
“Yesterday, in what was purely a routine affair, the immediate past Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, honoured the invitation by the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). This, he did, seamlessly in his undaunted spirit of patriotism, and sense of responsibility.
“It is worth emphasizing here 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,” the statement clarified.
Abia regretted that a section of the media, turned the routine visit to the EFCC office to mean an arrest by the anti-graft agency.
He said the former governor did not spend a night in the EFCC facility, but returned home immediately.
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“But, 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.
“Mr. Udom Emmanuel had since yesterday 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.
“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 added.
The aide recalled that the ex -governor presided over a robust growth in Akwa Ibom State, adding that he faced two harsh economic situations, such as the economic meltdown that occurred shortly after he was inaugurated in 2015, as prices of crude oil dropped globally.
“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 sub- nationals in the nation,” he said.
