By Ovie Okpare
The immediate past governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, says allegation by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, accusing him of collecting N429m road contract from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is false.
Uduaghan described the report as laughable and untrue in its entirety.
According to media report, Akpabio in a letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, had linked Uduaghan and Chief James Ibori, also a former governor of Delta, among others with some contracts awarded by NDDC.
The media reports quoting the minister saying that Uduaghan, now a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was linked to the emergency repairs of Close B, Alhaji Estate & Environs, Rumuodomaya, Port Harcourt at a cost of N429m.
But Udugahan in a statement signed by his Media Assistant, Monoyo Edon, debunked the allegation, stressing that he had never “approached the NDDC for any contract whatsoever.”
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The former governor said he had reached out to Akpabio, his former governor colleague, to immediately correct the report as he had never been awarded contracts by the interventionist agency.
Uduaghan said, “We want to state very clearly that the said accusation is FALSE. Dr. Uduaghan has never approached the NDDC for any contract whatsoever. It is even more ridiculous that the said contract is a road inside Port Harcourt town.
“Dr. Uduaghan has drawn the attention of the Hon. Minister of the Niger Delta, Sen Godswill Akpabio to the publication and hopes he makes a correction.”
He, however, advised the reading public to disregard the mischievous publication.
