Aides to Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State have described as baseless and laughable, the insinuation that Governor Udom Emmanuel is ordering security clampdown on dissenting voices.
The aides are particularly worried that the peaceful and tolerant disposition of the Governor has propelled all manners of campaign of calumny against the person of Governor Udom Emmanuel and his government.
Addressing the press in Uyo, Special Assistant to the Governor on Research and Documentation, Essien Ndueso flanked by Personal Assistant on Media to the Governor and his counterpart on Project Monitoring, Joseph Okon, and that of Project Monitoring, Ernest Akpan, raised the alarm over what he described as plot by Inibehe Effiong, a lawyer to deploy tactics to delay justice on the defamation suit slammed against his client, Leo Ekpenyong by Governor Udom Emmanuel.
Making reference to Inibehe’s conduct at the court which led to his committal, the Governor’s aides kicked against moves by Femi Falana, a senior lawyer and others to institute a lawsuit against the Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom State, Ekaette Obot saying, it was
ill-motivated.
The aides said they were counting days for Inibehe Effiong who is serving a one-month jail term to exhaust his sentence so that the substantive case of defamation against Leo Ekpenyong instituted by Governor Udom Emmanuel against him could resume in
court and expressed worry over attempts to further delay the course of justice on the matter.
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“Today, it is quite sad and embarrassing that the plot by convicted lawyer, Inibehe Effiong through outdated tactics to delay justice on the defamation suit against Barr Leo Ekpenyong can receive the signatures of 13 lawyers in the guise of suing the
Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom State, His Lordship, Justice Ekaette Obot over a demand that is purely administrative.
“It is evident that Femi Falana, SAN, and his co-lawyers do not mean well for Inibehe Effiong. Otherwise, they would have been more concerned about teaching him how the court works outside Facebook and other social media where his legal practice
flourishes more to the point that he was already assuming the status of a self-appointed solicitor general on social media. It was this illusion that blinded him into daring a legitimate law court presided over by a State Chief Judge.
“But that itself can best be answered by the court of public opinion, where every member of the public can see in the governor a transparent and accommodating leader who has eschewed political bias in his administration of the state.
“This perhaps, explains why a lawyer, Leo Ekpenyong, could throw caution to the wind and go all out to attack the personality of the Governor, accusing him of bribing some judges to secure judgment in 2019 in favour of Chris Ekpenyong who had defeated Godswill Akpabio,’’ the aides said in a release.
