By Ukeme Silas Ukpong
Without suffering some consequences, no person, organization or agency, particularly, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Deacon Udom Emmanuel and the Berekete Family, should be allowed to flaunt any level of impropriety bordering on Election /campaign finance fraud.
Berekete Family, which prides itself as a human rights and good governance advocacy media group, few month ago, toured Akwa Ibom State to see Udom Emmanuel’s so-called developmental strides. They were lavishly hosted in Uyo by the governor, after he had earlier featured in their program in Abuja, brainwashing the gullible with white and black lies about his “achievements as governor during the past seven years.
To soothe Udom Emmanuel’s ego and justify the lavish reception they were treated to while on a “fact finding”visit, Brekete Family suddenly became a spinmeister for the governor’s campaign machine.
As far as we know, Berekete Family was on steroids to promote phantoms, including controversial and unviable private sector businesses presented by Udom Emmanuel as industries.
I don’t care if an NGO is craftily made into believing blatant lies by Udom Emmanuel. After all, deplorable and unethical persons can form an organization and can register same with Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).
Last week, the Berekete Family announced that it has purchased a N40 million Presidential Nomination Form for Emmanuel (PDP). That is what I care about and have problems with.
How does Berekete Family raise non taxable income such that it can afford to shell out a whopping N40 million to buy a Presidential Nomination Form for a rich public servant?
Is there a spending cap with regards to how much funds individuals, organizations (particularly NGO) or groups may donate to politicians and political parties?
If an owl cries at night and a baby dies in the morning (an African proverb), there is something very suspicious. Bluntly stating, I suspect a money laundering relationship between the NGO and its lavish host Brekete Family has a public service duty to fully disclose its sources of income, relationship with Gov. Emmanuel and monies received from Akwa Ibom State Government during its recent highly compromising tour of the State. Additionally, law enforcement agencies like INEC need to know how come the obscene gift (a 2023 Presidential Nomination 2Form) to Emmanuel.
Given the above, It is proper, therefore, to call on the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Federal Inland Revenue Service ( FIRS) to investigate and, possibly prosecute Brekete Family – the supposed human rights and good governance advocacy media group for possible money laundering and violation of electoral laws.
No one is against Udom Emmanuel’s presidential ambition, it is within his right to so aspire. But, what we will not fold our arms and watch, is reckless fleecing of the tax payers’ money to indulge a phony presidential ambition that is already dead on arrival.
Few weeks ago, the state went into frenzy celebrating the stoppage of Udom’s purported loan application for his alleged completion agenda. The Federal agency, through it action saved the state a lot, because the said loan which had earlier received the endorsement of the rubber stamped House of Assembly in the state, was to be channelled into Udom’s succession agenda and his ill fated presidential ambition.
Let me also thank former president Olusegun Obasanjo, for coming out to condemn this comics by would be aspirants into political offices, who would take and give out public funds to individuals and groups to buy forms for them, and coming to public to declare that the forms were bought for them by groups.
I am elated because the elder statesman has admonished Nigerians never to cast their votes for such characters if they eventually emerge the candidates of their various parties.
Emmanuel must therefore, come clean on the business deals between him and Berekete Family, because it looks as the more we look, the less we see on the plundering of our patrimony by Emmanuel and his hordes of wild goose chasers.
