Former Secretary to the Government of Akwa Ibom State and governorship aspirant in the 2015 governorship elections in the State, Chief Umanna Okon Umana has written a petition against Governor Godswil Akapbio, to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
In the petition, Umana alleged that the governor have a hand in the assassinations and kidnapping of his political associates.
He also accused the governor of attaempts on his life and that of his family ahead of the 2015 general elections.
In the petition written by his counsel, Mr, Uzoma Ibegbulem, Umana said that the petition had become necessary to stave off the impending breaches of his client’s human rights and/or assassinations of perceived political opponents of Governor Akpabio.
“Engr, Albert Ukpanah, a well known opponent of Governor Akpabio’s 2015 Senate ambition was strangled to death in his residence in Abak, Akwa Ibom State on the 5th of March,2014. So far, anxious political associates and his family members are still waiting for answers and fear that like past political assassinations in Akwa-Ibom State, it might be business as usual. Engr. Ukpanah served as Caretaker Chairman of Ukanafun local government council and was one of the immediate past state officers of the Peoples Democratic Party in Akwa Ibom State,” he added.
He further alleged that “Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo a former member of the House of Representatives was threatened by the Governor in the presence of many witnesses, including a Catholic priest. His Excellency told the former lawmaker to forgo his Senatorial ambition otherwise, he would be a victim of one of the three G’s, namely, God, Government and Gun! This was on Saturday, February 1, 2014.
“In December,2013, Hon. Umana Okon Umana himself was the target of hired assassins when he received threats at his Uyo residence. It is instructive that contemporaneous with that threat, His Excellency, the governor, ordered the withdrawal of his security details. This was widely reported in the press and also reported to the police.”