Natasha Akpoti, the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, has finally addressed the allegations of mobilizing journalists to embarrass former Governor Yahaya Bello at the EFCC office. She has opened up about the entire saga.
Over the weekend, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan released a statement where she expressed her appreciation for the efforts of the EFCC regarding the Yahaya Bello situation.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, who incidentally represents Yahaya Bello in the Senate, however, kept mum on the assertion of mobilising journalists to taunt the former governor.
Responding to Bello’s excuse for not honoring the EFCC’s invitation, the lawmaker while keeping mum on the claim of allegedly mobilising the media to hound the former governor stressed the importance of the commission investigating other corrupt public officials to prevent the perception that their actions against the former governor were intended as a witch hunt.
In a now-viral video, the EFCC chairman had claimed Bello told him that a female senator allegedly gathered journalists to humiliate him anytime he was at the agency’s Abuja office for interrogation.
“I called Yahaya Bello, as a former governor, to come to my office to clear himself. I shouldn’t have done that. But he said because a certain senator had planted over 100 journalists in my office, he would not come.
“I told him that he would be allowed to use my private gate to give him a cover, but he said my men should come to his village to interrogate him,” Olukoyede was quoted as saying.
But Senator Natasha in a statement signed by her Chief Press Secretary, Arogbonlo Israel and issued at the weekend in Abuja said:
“I was surprised to hear that Yahaya Bello evaded the invitation from the EFCC, despite having served as Kogi’s former chief security officer. As a former governor, he should understand the importance of respecting Nigeria’s laws and constitution.
“It’s a well-known fact that ‘he who comes into equity must come with clean hands’. As such, I advise him to honour the invitation and clear his name while he still has the chance.
“I’d also like to take this moment to appreciate the diligence of the EFCC in handling the case so far. No Nigerian is above the law, and therefore the agency must see this case through to the end if they are to gain the trust of both Nigerians and the international community in the fight against corruption,” she said.