Mr. Nse Bassey Ekpenyong, a member of the House of Representatives (Oron Federal Constituency, Akwa Ibom State) is a certificate forger and perjurer.
Evidence in possession of SaharaReporters revealed that Ekpeyong, who won election into the federal legislature in 2015 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), did not attend the Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, as he claimed in the affidavit in support of his personal particulars, which he deposed to at the Akwa Ibom State High Court, Uyo, on December 15 2014.
Attached to the affidavit, which he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), was a fake statement of result and certificate suggesting that he bagged an Ordinary National Diploma in Business Administration from the institution in 2011.
Ekpeyong, who claimed to have gained admission (Matric no. NDE/3829/BA) into the school in 2009, has, however, been exposed as a liar.
The authorities of the institution have stated that the diploma and statement of result Ekpeyong submitted to INEC were not issued by the institution. Ekpeyong's statement of result, bearing the signature of one Ada Ukaegbe and dated November 222012, ascribe to him a CGPA of 3.12, indicating he graduated with an upper credit. His cooked up certificate was also signed on the same day.
A civil society group had petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), alleging that Ekpeyong had presented forged papers. Both agencies had written to the institution, requesting confirmation of the papers presented. They also wrote to INEC demanding Ekpeyong's affidavit in support of his personal particulars. These were supplied by the electoral commission.
The petitioners had also alleged that Ekpenyong fraudulently obtained salaries, allowances, and other financial benefits through his invented educational qualification.
In a letter dated May 24 2016, and titled "Investigation Activities Nse Bassey Ekpeyong Registration Number: 2009 NDE/3829/BA", the EFCC requested the Registrar of the institution to confirm if Ekpeyong was a student of the institution. If he was, the agency demanded the certified true copies of his statement of result and certificate. The anti-graft agency also requested the institution to confirm whether or not it issued the papers submitted by Ekpeyong.
Earlier, the ICPC had written to the Polytechnic demanding the same information. In its letter dated 12 May and signed by Agha-Ibe, head of the agency's Special Investigation Unit, the ICPC requested the Rector of the Polytechnic to ascertain Ekpeyong's claims of studentship and graduation. Responding to the enquiries, the Abia State Polytechnic, in a letter addressed to the office of the ICPC Chairman, stated that Ekpeyong was never a student of the institution.
Dated May 21, 2016, and signed by Dr. (Mrs.) Constance Evuline, acting Registrar, the letter read: "Having done a thorough search on our records, we write to confirm that the above named (Ekpeyong) was not a student in the Department of Business Administration of Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, at any period at all. We also wish to attest that copies of the statement of result and certificate attached by him were not issued by the polytechnic."
In response to the EFCC's enquiry, via a letter dated June 62016, the Abia State Polytechnic similarly disowned Ekpeyong. Signed by the acting Registrar, the letter added that the two persons, whose signatures appear on the certificate and statement of result submitted by Ekpeyong, had left the institution as 2011. Ekpeyong's invented certificate was signed in November 2012.
As part of its investigations into the scandal, the EFCC, on Tuesday, arrested Ekpeyong, who was later released on bail. However, the ICPC, despite the convicting information requested and obtained from the Abia State Polytechnic, has refused to call Ekpeyong in for questioning. ICPC investigators disclosed that they are hamstrung by the fact that Ekpeyong hails from the same state as the ICPC Chairman, Mr. Ekpo Nta. Ekpeyong is also said to have received protection from the immediate past Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, whose friendship with Senate Minority Leader, former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Godswill Akpabio, kept the Police off Ekpeyong. Akpabio is said to be Ekpeyong's godfather. He is also said to have made financial overtures, unavailingly, to the EFCC to stave off the investigation of his godson.
Meanwhile, members of the civil society group, who petitioned the EFCC and ICPC, SaharaReporters learnt, have been receiving phone calls from Ekpeyong's supporters threatening them with death and at times making cash offers for the petitioners to back down.
One of the callers is a certain Mr. Windy Isong, who calls with two phone numbers: 08129292990 and 08039771965. Court records also show that Ekpeyong had gone before an elections petitions tribunal in Akwa Ibom State to claim falsely that he attended the Polytechnic and bagged a national diploma.
