BY:
MANFRED EKPE
The Court of Appeal sitting iat Calabar has by majority judgment in 23/ 6/2023 upturned the conviction of Senator Bassey Albert, the YPP governorship candidate in the 2023 Guber election. Recall that Federal High Court at Uyo on 1st Dec., 2022 ahead of the general elections convicted Bassey Albert and sentenced him to an unprecedented 42 years imprisonment without an option of fine in an offence that provides for fine.
However, the minority judgment opinion was that the conviction ought to be upheld with 7 million naira fine and a refund of 240 Million Naira to the State Government. Majority judgment is binding not minority judgment.
It is quite preposterous that the PDP notorious dirty blackmailers have decided to amplify the minority judgment. There are however aspects of the judgment that EFCC and Bassey Albert are entitled to appeal against.
It has also been revealed that certain PDP blackmailers who are former state grown blackmailers under Ex Governor Udom Emmanuel are presently using the appeal court judgment that confirmed the conviction of Rear Admiral Murtala Nyako to change names, date and a few information for peddling in the social media that Bassey Albert’s conviction has been affirmed.
The Akwa Ibom State Government have also relationship 550 million naira to pay TV and radio stations, and supply to them the fraudulent judgment they are presently altering just to embarrass Senator Albert and weaken his support base and scatter his teeming supporters.
Recall that agents of Akwa Ibom State Government had been pleading with Senator Albert to withdraw his election petition in court in return for the post of commissioner for finance and juicy contracts, but he refused, and recommendation as an Ambassador should their effort to join the APC sail through.
Also recall that just Tuesday this week, 21 June 2023 a staff of the University of Uyo, Mr. Daniel Akpan whom Uniuyo denied does not exist, appeared in court to testify in favour of Bassey Albert and YPP. The State Govt reportedly deployed armed police and military officers to arrest Daniel Akpan after court session. Such a desperation and impunity has never been recorded in Akwa Ibom history. Senate President Godswill Akpabio had to give order for Bassey Albert’s car which had been blocked passage by the security agents
Thereafter, the blackmailers tried to change the narrative that Senator Albert was the one who recruited thugs in police uniform to act the drama in court so as to have the tribunal venue transferred to Abuja.
And now they are forging court judgments and buying over the entire media space to spread their fake story and propaganda of affirmation of conviction by the court of appeal.
Obong Bassey Albert advices that they be ignored and that he will not join issues with any media house, but will ever focus on his election petition at the tribunal.
