Akpabio sneaks into AKHA

* Carts away sensitive documents

* Assembly Speaker, Clerk in financial fraud cover up

* It’s a blackmail, says Aniekan Uko

* Ask Ime Okon - Mandu Umoren fights back

* Ibiono lawmaker opens up

Former Governor of Akwa Ibom State now Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio is said to have disguised and stormed the premises of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly where he is said to have carted away very sensitive documents of Government with the aid of the Speaker of the 6th Assembly, Hon Aniekan Akpan and the clerk of the House Mrs. Mandu Umoren.

But, the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr. Aniekan Umanah denied the sighting of Akpabio at the House of Assembly premises.

He said that if anybody had seen the ex-Governor, such a person should have taken pictures. Umanah said Akpabio is a Senator and not a member of the House of Assembly and would not have had any business there.

The Information boss described as rubbish and total falsehood the allegation that Akpabio had gone to Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly for whatever purpose on Monday.

A member of the 6th Assembly who spoke to our reporter on the condition of strict confidentiality informed THE INK that Godswill Akpabio arrived in the later hours of the afternoon in a G-wagon Mercedes Benz car and another salon car as a back- up. The former Governor is said to have parked besides the Speaker’s official parking garage.

The Ikot Ekpene Senator who recently emerged as the minority leader of the Senate is said to have spent between thirty five to fifty minutes in the AKHA premises inside the car he came with. While waiting for the agendum of why he visited, an eye witness account reveal to our reporter that Akpabio had asked his driver and the security aide that accompanied him to excuse him as he was busy communicating with some House of Assembly members amongst which was the member representing Ukanafun state constituency.

Our reporter gathered that the clerk of the House Mandu Umoren in company with the Speaker Aniekan Uko had emerged holding some very vital documents which they gave to Akpabio and then moved and the former Governor then zoomed off.

It was revealed to our reporter that very sensitive documents of Government were what Mandu personally surrendered to former Governor Akpabio. The documents eye witness accounts say were presented to Akpabio in a spiral binded form.

It could not be readily ascertained what the documents were but some Assemblymen who spoke to THE INK reporters said the documents were serious documents that could be used as evidences and exhibits against the former Governor whom they said must have acted against the law while he served as the Akwa Ibom Governor especially between 2011 to 2015.

Some House of Assembly members who spoke to our reporters noted that the former Governor’s nicodemus visit to the Assembly premises without the knowledge of all the members was an indication that all was not well. They maintained that it was an affront on members but however denied making efforts to get to the Speaker on why Senator Akpabio visited.

Sources who work with the Akwa Ibom House of Assembly Service Commission spoke to THE INK and informed that the documents that were allegedly smuggled to Senator Godswill Akpabio are sensitive documents that the Ex Governor may likely destroy so he can deny any allegations or accusations that those documents are meant to prove.

But when our reporter contacted the speaker to seek clarifications on why the nicodemus visit of the former Governor was executed last Monday, Aniekan Uko in an sms to our reporter denied it and said it was a blackmail. The speaker however refused to open up on whether the former Governor Godswill Akpabio had visited the Assembly premises last Monday.

The clerk of the House Mrs. Mandu Umoren refused to speak on the matter. When contacted, she simply replied by text message, “Thank you. Plse direct your enquiry to Chairman, House cmttee on Information”

The Chairman House Committee on Information, Barr Ime Okon while speaking to THE INK in reacting to the allegations of the leaked documents and Akpabio sneaking into the House of Assembly premises said, he is not aware of the former Governor’s visit and added that in any case that the House of Assembly is a public institution that can be assessed by any person. He maintained that he had even called his Speaker Aniekan Uko and the speaker informed him that he, Aniekan Uko was in the Assembly on Monday and that Obong Godswill Akpabio was not there.

In his words, “I am not aware the immediate Past Governor of the state Obong (Barr) Godswill Akpabio visited the House of Assembly. I have even called Mr. Speaker and he said, he was in the House of Assembly on Monday and that he didn’t see the Ex Governor. I want to go further by telling you, Nsibiet my man that the House of Assembly is a public office and can be visited by anybody. Again, most, if not all documents in the Assembly are known as Public documents because some of the documents are either motions or bills passed into law by the House of Assembly and therefore, these documents are public documents that could be assessed by anybody”

Barr Ime Okon who is the legislator representing the people of Ibiono Ibom State constituency spoke further by saying he is therefore at a loss to understand why people would say that  public documents can be stolen or smuggled out because the public can access it anytime. He further maintained that if there are any sensitive documents in the Assembly, that none of them have been stolen or smuggled out.