The endorsement of Mr. Akpabio has raised serious doubts about Tinubu's dedication to tackling corruption and fostering a culture of transparent and accountable governance.
The Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) Resource Centre, a civil society organisation, has expressed deep concern over the choice of Mr. Godswill Akpabio by the ‘President-elect’, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as the next Senate President.
HEDA in a statement signed and released by its Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, described the move as a troubling indication of the incoming government's stance on corruption and its commitment to upholding the rule of law.
Drawing attention to the allegations of corruption surrounding Tinubu's background as the former Lagos State governor and his influential role in Lagos politics, HEDA acknowledges its initial willingness to give Tinubu the benefit of the doubt.
However, the endorsement of Mr. Akpabio has raised serious doubts about Tinubu's dedication to tackling corruption and fostering a culture of transparent and accountable governance.
The anti-group organisation pointed out that it is impossible to ignore the corruption allegations against Mr. Akpabio, particularly his alleged attempts to evade multiple invitations from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by feigning illness.
By publicly endorsing Mr. Akpabio, HEDA asserts that the ‘President-elect’ is effectively signalling support for lawlessness and undermining the efforts of law enforcement agencies.
The organisation emphasises the negative impact the decision will have on the credibility and independence of the Senate, highlighting that the ultimate loser in this situation will be the country as a whole.
As a vigilant civil society organisation and dedicated partner in the fight against corruption, HEDA says it is closely monitoring the developments.
The organisation said it is actively engaging in consultations to determine the best course of action in response to what it sees as a setback in the fight against corruption.
It noted that the “President-elect now faces increasing scrutiny and a growing need to address these concerns, demonstrating a genuine commitment to combating corruption and fulfilling the promises made during the campaign”.
“The eyes of the nation are upon the President-elect, awaiting decisive actions that will restore public trust and ensure that the fight against corruption remains a top priority in the new administration,” it says.
SaharaReporters had reported that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission recently re-invited Akpabio, former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs over an allegation of abuse of office and misappropriation of billions of Naira.
The EFCC earlier invited Akpabio to appear for questioning on March 29 but the lawyer representing the Senator-elect, Umeh Kalu (SAN), in a letter to the anti-graft agency said his client was suffering from pneumonia and cardiac arrhythmia.
Kalu said Akpabio would be unable to honour the invitation on March 29 due to ill health.
According to the lawyer, Akpabio had already arranged medical appointments overseas. He, therefore, asked the EFCC to reschedule the questioning to a new date.
However, SaharaReporters later obtained a fresh letter from the EFCC asking Akpabio to come to its headquarters in Abuja on May 9, 2023.
There had been allegations of N40 billion fraud perpetrated in the Niger Delta Development Commission, a ministry which was headed by Akpabio for three years.
The Senate and the House of Representatives in 2020 resolved to probe the alleged N40 billion financial recklessness of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the NDDC in the previous three months.
Also, there were allegations of over N86 billion contract scam involving the senator-elect and the former Acting Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Prof. Kemebradikumo Pondei, which the EFCC has been looking into.
The anti-graft agency had in the past arrested Akpabio over the alleged theft of N108.1 billion of Akwa Ibom funds.