President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to prosecute and extradite a former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah who is also said to be one of the All Progressives Congress’s star witnesses at the tribunal.
Obong Attah who recently left the Peoples Democratic Party is alleged to have advanced a whopping $5.3million dollars of $5.7 million dollar contract, which is more than 80% of total contract sum for a science park that was abandoned at less than 10% completion; while the airport project which was awarded to DynCorps under controversial circumstances was paid over N220billion naira and the airport was still at site clearing stage when contractors fled the country.
Commenting on the move by Obong Attah, another Political stalwart from Uyo local government area, Obong Michael Nyong urged President Buhari to commence a process of extradition against Obong Victor Attah to enable him face corruption charges in the United Kingdom where he had been declared wanted three years ago. He also called on the Federal Government to compel Obong Attah to return the resources of the State he stole through the fraudulent sale of the State’s shares in the then Econet wireless.
Obong Attah allegedly re-purchased the Econet shares few months to the expiration of his tenure and transferred the money amounting to over 34 billion naira to his personal account.
Obong Nyong a former local government secretary said it was a huge misnomer that Obong Attah who was declared wanted by Metropolitan Police in London, should be allowed to work the Streets as a free man, while James Ibori who committed a lesser offence is languishing in jail.
In a swift reaction to Attah’s announcement dumping the PDP a frontline elder in the state and former Minister of Lands and Housing Chief Nduese Essien said that Akwa Ibom said all those who are fighting PDP were until recently active members of the same party. Chief Essien said their departure was a huge blessing to the state and the PDP, as they had brought nothing but instability and crises to the state in the last 16 years.
“Those who have left PDP for APC are the very people who were distracting the party and the leaders, and now that they have left, the government is more focused and stable.”
The Elder statesman said,“If Obong Attah is deriding the PDP government today, it means he himself was also a problem to the state, because he led under PDP from 1999 to 2007, and if he is attacking PDP leadership, that means his administration is inclusive.” Chief Essien said that PDP would have done better in the last elections but for the sabotage by some members, and added that now that those saboteurs have left, the PDP will wax stronger in the state.
He assured that PDP was placed at an advantage by the tribunal ruling as it now has 495,000 votes from 13 local government areas as against only 37,000 by the APC, adding that in the event of a rerun, Governor Udom Emmanuel will need just 100, 000 votes to remain on seat from the remaining 18 local governments.
