A former minister under PDP government and senator from Akwa Ibom State, John Udoedehe, has revealed how the state’s immediate past governor, Godswill Akpabio, regularly doled out huge amounts of money as “transport money” to politicians, each time they had a political meeting.
Udoedehe, who is a former Minister of State for FCT, said caucus members of the PDP were given at least N3m each as “transport money” every night they met to discuss the party’s affairs with Akpabio.
In fact, Akpabio gave him a “special” sum, much more than the outrageous N3m others received.
“Godswill Akpabio used to give us at least N3million each as transport money every night we attended caucus meeting in Government House,” he said during an interview on Planet FM in Uyo on Saturday, November 7. “My own was special, it was more than N3million.”
The former minister said despite the largesse, he still fell out with Akpabio. He made the revelations to kind of buttress his argument that he could not be bought with money.
Mr. Udoedehe, who is now a Board of Trustees member of the ruling APC, also narrated how a Divisional Police Officer was held in his community by villagers, for attempting to illegally take away election materials during the April 11 governorship poll in the state.
He said the DPO was held for some time at Afaha Offot, Uyo Local Government Area, and was eventually rescued by a team of mobile policemen led by the commissioner of police, Akwa Ibom State.
Mr. Udoedehe did not give the name of the officer, but said he was from the “C” Division, Uyo.
“What I did in my village, I need to tell you this. They came to carry the ballot boxes in my village. The incident is recorded at the police headquarters in Akwa Ibom State,” Mr. Udoedehe said.
“The villagers stopped the DPO ‘C’ Division and other policemen who came to cart away the materials. In fact, the commissioner of police mobilised police from everywhere to my village to release the DPO,” Mr. Udoedehe said in response to a question whether he participated in the governorship election.
“So, did the election (eventually) hold in your village?” Planet FM went on to ask Mr. Udoedehe who is also a former senator.
“No, we had that incident,” Mr. Udoedehe responded.
“So, did you vote or did you not vote?” the interviewer pressed.
“I said we had an incident in my village,” he responded again.
Mr. Udoedehe said the incident was another demonstration that he should have been the governorship candidate of APC in the state – not Umana Okon Umana.
“What I did in my own ward (during the election), Umana Okon Umana (the APC governorship candidate) couldn’t do in his own village. I am giving you fact. My village did not allow the DPO to leave with the ballot materials. It took the entire mobile police base to come to my village. They shot guns and arrested the people,” he said.
Mr. Udoedehe said he deserved to be a governorship candidate of APC, and not Mr. Umana, because of his contributions to the party within and outside Akwa Ibom state.
Mr. Udoedehe accused Akpabio of misusing state funds and causing poverty in Akwa Ibom state.
“The main reason I quarreled with Godswill Akpabio is that the government derailed initially by bringing people that were not supposed to be in government.
Government is so sacred. There are people that are not supposed to be in government. If you allow them in, then that sacredness would be broken,” Mr. Udoedehe said.
“Development goes beyond infrastructure,” he said. “People in Uyo are now selling off their properties, including their fathers’ graves. It shows the level of poverty here.”
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