A socio-economic group, Akwa Ibom Media Advocates, has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of trying to destabilise the administration of Governor Udom Emmanuel.
It accused the anti-graft agency of descending into the political arena with its invitation of government officials in Akwa Ibom State.
The AMA, in a statement on Thursday, wondered why the EFCC limited its investigative activities in Akwa Ibom State to Emmanuel’s administration rather than look also into that of the governor’s predecessor, Godswill Akpabio, who recently decamped from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party to the ruling All Progressives Congress.
The group warned that with the way the anti-graft agency was going about the case, it risked tarnishing its image and losing the goodwill of Nigerians and the international community.
The AMA particularly frowned upon newspapers’ publication by the EFCC on its investigative activities in Akwa Ibom State.
The group said, “We did not react to the first report on the investigation of the accounts of the state government in August as we thought that it could have been a mistake.
“However, the latest report clearly indicates an agenda… and we believe that the commission has fully delved into the political arena and is carrying out a partisan agenda aimed at destabilising the state government.
“It is trite that the power to investigate the finances of a state government is domiciled in the state House of Assembly and this is a fact that has been proved by the courts.”
Reminding the anti-graft agency of the purpose for which it was crated, the AMA advised the EFCC to “be unbiased in all its efforts in order to leave a lasting legacy for posterity.”
