Nigerian Concord Newspaper
Coalition Against Corruption in Benue State has condemned an allegation which was planted in some newspapers this morning by the media team of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume that the Governor of Benue state, Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia bribed judges that sat on the recently-concluded Local Government Election Petition in Abuja with N700 million.
The group also condemned another allegation in the report where it was said that the governor entered Abuja last night with N3 billion aimed to bribe another set of judges sitting on the Appeal by the Benue state chapter of All Progressive Congress.
According to Coalition Against Corruption in Benue State in a press statement made available to journalists in Makurdi this afternoon by its Director of Press, Mr. Kenneth Ihomun, it’s Senator George Akume that has been bribing Tribunal and Appeal Court judges through the Chief Judge of Benue state, Justice Maurice Ikpwambese.
The group which said it has been monitoring all what politicians have been doing since the Tribunal commenced sittings also stated that the allegation that Governor Alia bribed judges can be likened to a case of someone calling dog a bad name so as to kill it.
The group pressed further that it shall soon organize a press conference where all the financial records which have all the monetary transactions between Akume and the Tribunal judges through Ikpwambese will be published to the whole world.
“We have all the proofs of how several hundreds of millions of Naira in US Dollars were moved from Maitama in order to bribe the judges and we will expose this in a press conference very soon” Ihomun said.
Coalition Against Corruption in Benue state however charged the accusers to bring a proof that Governor Alia truly sent bribes to the judges. “They should also do the public a favour by providing the particulars of the two names, Sam Agah and Ngufan which they mentioned in their accusation as the middle men between Governor Alia and the Judges of truly they are existing.
The group also challenged the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council, Barr. Pius Akutah and the Executive Director of the Federal Housing Authority, Mr. Matthias Byuan to tell the world the purpose of the over N950 million which they took from the Treasury of their respective agencies a week to the first judgement of the local government elections Petitions.
They also challenged some of the members of the National Assembly Caucus from Benue state led by Senator Titus Zam to explain the details of the meeting which they had in Akume’s residence in Maitama with Maurice Ikpwambese and the secretary to the Election Petition in attendance if not to deliver the bribe to them.
Coalition Against Corruption in Benue state finally disclosed that plans are ongoing by the so-called APC stakeholders to financially induce the Appeal Panel in order to fraudulently take over all the twenty three local governments in Benue state with purchased judgements.