The appearance of former governor of Akwa Ibom State and Senate Minority Leader, Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) last week caused serious stir in the country, based on the personality involved.
Hardly had news got out that the former governor was with the anti-graft agency to answer questions on a petition written by a certain Leo Ekpeyong, than many people declared him guilty as charged though he was yet to be arraigned by the commission.
In fact, those in this category must have been behind the misinformation that the former governor was arrested by the EFCC. But for the insistence of some of Akpabio’s aides and the revelation by the governor himself that he had deliberately walked into the EFCC office to honour its invitation, the ‘misinformants’ and agents of mendacity would have prevailed.
However, the governor had explained that he received an invitation from EFCC sometimes back before his involvement in an accident some months ago and had chosen to honour that invitation now that he was back in the country.
Akpabio had said his appointments with the EFCC were by no means prosecution sessions, as he was only asked questions and clarifications on an alleged N108 billion fraud contained in a petition by a young lawyer who did not understand the workings of government.
Akpabio, without any doubt, was one of the biggest personalities in the politics of the country in the last six years. As a two-term governor of Akwa Ibom State, his name resonated loudly whenever issues surrounding good governance at the state levels are subjects of discussion, with many people still holding the belief that he was, by far, the best governor Akwa Ibom State has had in its over 25 years of existence and definitely one of the best in the country’s 16-years of democratic rule.
Applauded for his commitment to the infrastructural development of Akwa Ibom State, which saw him leaving behind an international airport, a first-of-its-kind in West Africa e-library, a world class specialist hospital, an international stadium as well as many other infrastructure such as roads and a power plant, Akpabio had been renowned for saying that anger was behind the massive development of the state.
Typically, the former Akwa Ibom number one man had shown the same commitment to human development through his educational and agricultural programmes that have changed the story of Akwa Ibom State.
Akpabio was, no doubt a popular governor in his eight years in office and his popularity had been bolstered by his boisterous and benevolent nature, which had, at one point or the other, drawn the flaks from people who felt otherwise. Undeterred, Akpabio had continued his benevolence, just as his knack for the transformation of Akwa-Ibom State continued to attract personalities and praises to him from all over the world.
Such was the popularity and prowess of Akpabio that his development strides in the state attracted goodwill and commendation messages from leaders of thought in Nigeria including former Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar; the late former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua; Professor Wole Soyinka and former Governor Segun Osoba, among others.
But could his popularity and soaring profile ever since getting into the Senate, where though a first-timer, he became Senate Minority Leader, be one of the reasons for his travail?
Akpabio’s popularity and commanding presence as the leader of PDP governors and a leader in the Niger-Delta geopolitical zone, which produced former President Goodluck Jonathan, who was then seeking another term of office, had, in the last one year, towered above many other factors to give him the status of a national political icon and also attract opposition to him, with many people in the APC marking him as “public enemy number one” for supporting Jonathan, who he described as his brother, rallying South-South electorate to support one of their own.
By so doing, it had been clear that the former governor of the oil-rich state was putting his people first but also putting his neck on the line if the PDP lost the election, which was eventually what happened. However, while Akpabio was rewarded by his people who elected him as the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-West, his party could not garner enough support, which ended its 16-year rule and exposed personalities such as Akpabio, who were ahead of the vanguard of PDP’s youthful and remodeled politics of good governance to attacks under the new government.
Already, the PDP is crying blue murder about what it described as selective anti-corruption fight, stating that only former governors on the platform of the party were being hounded and harassed. Though the Presidency had been quick to pooh-pooh PDP’s position, asking if indeed, those being hounded committed the crime, it is still left to be seen how only Akpabio, who is a key opposition figure in the Senate, where the APC is having tough times, could be the only one who has ‘allegedly committed the crime’ when similar allegations have been levelled against President Muhammadu Buhari’s ministerial nominees.
Interestingly, however, Akpabio did not ask questions about his invitation, neither did anyone know when and how he was invited until he had honoured that invitation, a development that can aptly be described as uncommon in this clime.
Typically, restraining orders would have been sought and bought; sponsored foot soldiers would have raised the roof few days to the governor honouring the invitation and the anti-graft agency would have been demonised. But Akpabio, unlike some of his colleagues who have now become ‘saints’ because they are in the APC, did not run to the court to seek an order to stop his invitation. It was not until his traducers and their media arm began to publish lies about the governor being arrested that Akpabio’s media aides and supporters had to clear the air.
Not only did the former governor keep his appointments with the EFCC. He did so with honour in a way that seems to tell other politicians to do what is right when allegations are made against them, as the senator clearly pointed out in his interaction with the press.
The last might not have been heard about the former governor’s issues with the EFCC, what is clear is that his action in the last one week has taught many people courage in the face of adversity and toeing the path of honour when accused, either rightly or wrongly. But there are other inherent lessons beyond the appearances; those in power today need be cautious, for nothing lasts forever and people should not condemn anyone who is yet to face a trial.
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