…MONEY, INTIMIDATION CANNOT MOVE ME - SHERIFF
The embattled Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Stephen Ntukekpo was on Monday arrested by the police and detained at the Force Headquarters, Abuja for allegedly forging the signature of the October 2021 APC State Congress Chairman, Banki Sheriff, the Global Pilot can disclose.
The disgraced factional chairman comes from the Senator Godswill Akpabio faction of the APC, while his counterpart, Anietie Ekanem is supported by Senator John Udoedehe.
Ntukekpo who was arrested around 1:pm, is said to have been released late in the evening same day, following the alleged intervention of a stakeholder of the party, and former House of Representatives Member, Obongemem Ekperikpe Ekpo who guaranteed that the alleged imposter would not run away.
Appearing in a live interview conducted on the social media on Tuesday by Imaobong Uboh, Chairman of the APC Congress Committee, Banki Sheriff confirmed that Mr Ntukekpo was indeed arrested on the orders of the Inspector General of Police at the instance of his petition.
Banki Sheriff who confessed “I was startled to see Mr Ntukekpo with a fake result sheet, which he had forged my signature, hence my decision to ask the police to investigate such an illegality”.
Fueling speculations that he may have been approached by the Senator Godswill Akpabio’s faction of the party for a truce with mouth watering inducements, Mr Sheriff maintained that “no amount of money or offer can make me work against my conscience.”
“I cannot accept any money no matter how huge, that would prevent me from having a peaceful sleep. God will judge me accordingly if I fail the youths of our generation.
“I met Mr Stephen for the first time in the Force Headquarters on Monday and today(Tuesday) when he came back on summon.
“I told him in front of the Police DIG, I have never met you before, how did you win in an election I conducted without participating?”
Mr Banki Sheriff insisted that the Congress he conducted in October last year was attended by several APC leaders including Senator Godswill Akpabio, Don Etiebet, Umana Umana, Dan Abia and Sam Enwang, and four of them, including Akpabio spoke at the ceremony.
He was awed that Akpabio could come out to support an aspirant who despite picking a form to contest the primaries, was no where near the venue, and added that Mr Austin Ekanem was duly elected with Arc Otu Ita Toyo coming second.
He also disclosed that the police are still investigating the criminal case and that despite being granted bail, the police would not fail to arrest Ntukekpo should he flout their conditions.
Our investigation revealed that Mr Stephen Ntukekpo would have been arrested earlier in Uyo, but promised to honour the invitation of the police himself.
When on arrival in Abuja, he failed to peacefully report to the force headquarters as agreed, the men swooped on him and dragged him to Louis Edet Headquarters of the Nigeria Police
Akpabio-backed APC Chairman had obtained court judgement which installed him as APC Chairman with forged document, which is viewed as a serious criminal offence in law. He was petitioned by Immediate past National Secretary of the APC, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe and the Chairman of the APC congress committee, Banki Sherrif for forgery.
According to investigation, Ntukekpo, filed a forged document at a Federal High Court, Abuja, to outwit a rival, Austin Ekanem who was annouced as State Chairman of the APC through a congress that was held in Uyo and had officials from the National secreteriat of the party, INEC, security agencies and Journalists as witness.
As at yesterday, this newspaper realiably gathered that there were efforts to secure an out of court settlement to avoid the embarrassment that might await the party in the state. As it stands, Ntukekpo risks jail term if he is arraigned in court.
Justice Taiwo’s court had accepted as exhibit, a “summary result sheet” of the October 16, 2021 APC State Congress, which showed Mr Ntukekpo as the elected chairman of the party in Akwa Ibom. The judge gave the ruling in favour of Mr Ntukekpo, based on the exhibit.
Mr Ekanem did not take part in the congress, the court said.
“The purported substitution of the plaintiffs as members of the Akwa Ibom State Executive Committee of the APC, with unelected persons chosen by the 1st to 3rd defendants, and, who did not participate at the state congress of the party held on October 16, 2021 is unlawful and illegal,” Mr Taiwo had said in the ruling.
It, however, turned out that the “summary result sheet” filed in court by Mr Ntukekpo was fake and the signatures forged, officials have said.
Sheriff Banki, who headed a seven-man committee that conducted the APC state congress in Akwa Ibom, raised an alarm in January that his signature was forged by Mr Ntukekpo in the court document.
Mr Banki alerted the APC of the development through a letter he sent to the then national chairman, Mr Buni, on January 11.
He also sent a similar letter to the Inspector General of Police, the Director General of the State Security Service, and the chairman of INEC.
“As you may recall, you appointed me as the Chairman of the APC Congress Committee to Akwa Ibom State for the Ward, LGA, and State’s Congresses, and I acquitted myself creditably,” Mr Bank said to Mr Buni in the letter.
“I submitted the results and the reports accordingly, but to my utter dismay, my attention was drawn to a suit filed in the Federal High Court, Abuja, by one Stephen Leo Ntukekpo who swore to an affidavit and attached fake results sheets where my signature was forged and he declared himself the State Chairman-elect for Akwa Ibom State,” Mr Banki said in the letter.
The results sheet, which Mr Banki said was fake and his signature forged, contained names of other “winners” drawn entirely from Mr Ntukekpo’s faction.
Mr Banki said in the letter that Mr Ntukekpo’s action was beyond politics and that the APC should treat it as a “serious criminal offence”.
He also said that Mr Ntukekpo’s action could throw the APC into chaos in Akwa Ibom.
INEC, in line with its mandate, monitored the congress conducted by Mr Banki and his team, thereby rendering the parallel exercise legally, a nullity.
Mr Akpabio had shown up at the venue of the congress conducted by Mr Banki and his team and, at his request, he was given a few minutes to address the gathering.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s adviser on Niger Delta Affairs, Ita Enang; the Managing Director, Oil and Gas Free Zones Authority, Umana Umana; a former minister of petroleum, Don Etiebet, and a former managing director, Niger Delta Development Commission, Bassey Dan-Abia were among the APC chieftains who participated in the congress conducted by Mr Banki.
Legal battle:
Mr Ekanem, sacked via a court order 10 days after he was sworn in, later got a reprieve from the Court of Appeal, Abuja, which ordered parties in the case to maintain the status quo.
The appeal was filed by Mr Akpanudoedehe.
The Court of Appeal adjourned the case to May 17 for hearing on the motion for a stay of execution of the Federal High Court ruling.
However, 72 hours after, the new National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Adamu, hurriedly swore-in Mr Ntukekpo as the Akwa Ibom APC chairman, in defiance of the order of the Court of Appeal.
The APC, also in an attempt to scuttle the case at the Court of Appeal, asked its lawyer, Solomon Umoh, SAN, to withdraw from the case. But the lawyer told the party that he was representing Mr Akpanudoedehe in the case, and not the APC.
“We are of the firm view that having been sued eo nomine as a natural person at the trial court, he (Akpanudoedehe) can constitutionally exercise a right of appeal through any counsel of his choice against a judgement which he was a party,” Mr Umoh wrote in a response to a letter from the APC national legal adviser.
Mr Akpanudoedehe personally wrote a letter to the APC national chairman, advising the party to stop putting pressure on his legal team to withdraw from the case at the Court of Appeal.
Meanwhile, the former petroleum minister, Mr Etiebet was at the APC national secretariat, a few days ago, to explain to the national chairman, Mr Adamu, the forgery allegation against Mr Ntukekpo and why he (Ntukekpo) cannot lead the party in Akwa Ibom.
The minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr Akpabio was reportedly informed by a party official about Mr Etiebet’s presence at the secretariat, this newspaper learnt. The minister rushed to the secretariat, and reportedly had an altercation with Mr Etiebet in the chairman’s office.
Mr Etiebet, having been distracted by the minister, was unable to make a presentation to Mr Adamu. He had to reschedule the appointment.
Immediately they stepped out of Mr Adamu’s office, Mr Akpabio addressed reporters, with Mr Etiebet standing beside him.
Mr Akpabio said Mr Adamu is “leading a law-abiding party”, for swearing-in Mr Ntukekpo.
A former Petroleum Minister, Don Etiebet in his reaction said the swearing in of Mr Ntukekpo is an “illegality” that is unacceptable to him and other APC leaders in Akwa Ibom.
Meanwhile, the secretary of the congress organising committee, Yakubu Sule’s signature, was also forged.
Mr Sule has vowed to present his facts in the court whenever he makes an appearance.
Mr Banki on his part has said he would not allow Mr Ntukekpo to claim victory against Mr Ekanem, in an exercise he conducted.
“You can only lie against a dead person, you can’t lie against a living person. I’m alive and nobody can lie against me.
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