EFCC invitation: FG after me for not supporting APC – Tompolo

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A former leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, has said the Federal Government was after him because of his refusal to support the All Progressives Congress in the Bayelsa State governorship election of December 5, 2015.

Tompolo was reacting to media reports that he failed to honour an invitation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to respond to allegations of land fraud.

The former MEND leader said in a statement on Saturday that the threat to declare him wanted as reported in the media was designed to heat up the polity.

He said, “The real reason the All Progressive Congress-led government is after me is that I bluntly refused to join the APC and to support their governorship candidate in Bayelsa State.

“We cannot all be in the APC. Our people have always believed in the Nigerian project and have always hoped to join hands with this administration to move this project forward, but the conditions being attached are not acceptable. I insist on believing in the Nigerian project unconditionally.

“We will continue to pursue our court case. The threat to declare me wanted is an unnecessary attempt to heat up the polity. I will go about my daily business, as usual.

“Finally, let me say this: if people can come from Sokoto, Katsina or Lagos to campaign in Bayelsa, why can’t I, a full blooded Ijaw man, go to Bayelsa to campaign?”

“I will only add this: let the will of the people of Bayelsa prevail. Nobody should attempt to force the outcome of the election. We have kept faith with our promise to Nigeria, we expect no less from this country. So if anyone tells you that Tompolo is on the run, tell him Tompolo is not going anywhere.”

Tompolo, however, said he would honour the anti-graft agency’s invitation.

He disclosed this to one of our correspondents on the telephone on Saturday.

Tompolo said: “I will honour the EFCC invitation because I have no skeleton in my cupboard; I will not disobey the invitation since it is not a place for injustice. It is only that Mr. President may have been dictating where the EFCC searchlight be beamed to, I do not have quarrels with the EFCC invitation unless it is politically motivated and I will do otherwise to prove I’m innocent if I am framed for money laundering.”

Tompolo in his statement explained that he responded to the EFCC’s invitation on November 24, 2015 with a letter of November 25, 2015 from his lawyers, Messrs Jakpa, Edoge & Co., which was received by one Uduak Ouot on behalf of the commission on December 3, 2015 after several attempts to deliver it.

He added that, “if there are any questions to answer, it is the people at the FEC, Bureau of Public Procurement, the Federal Ministry of Lands and Survey, the Federal Ministry of Transport, NIMASA, etc, who approved the transaction that should be answering such questions.”

Source: Punch