Senator Godswill Akpabio informed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that he was unable to accept their invitation due to poor health and that he had already scheduled international medical appointments.
Former Niger Delta Affairs Minister Akpabio had been summoned by the EFCC on suspicion of misusing his position and stealing billions of Naira.
In a letter of invitation delivered to Akpabio, the EFCC requested that he appear at its offices on the 29th day of March 2023.
However, Akpabio did not appear, so he sent a letter to the EFCC through his attorney, Umel Kalu, SAN.
The letter from Akpabio’s lawyer said: “We write to convey our client’s inability to honor the scheduled visit to your office on the 29th day of March 2022, due to ill health and already arranged medical appointment overseas.
“As mentioned in our last letter to you dated February 10, 2023, our client is undergoing treatment for pneumonia and cardiac arrhythmia, and, has recently been advised to seek further attention abroad.”
There had been allegations of N40 billion fraud perpetrated in the NDDC, a ministry that was headed by Akpabio for three years.
The Senate and the House of Representatives in 2020 resolved to probe the alleged N40 billion financial recklessness of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the NDDC in the previous three months.
Also, there were allegations of over N86 billion contract scams involving the senator-elect and the former Acting Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Prof. Kemebradikumo Pondei, which the EFCC has been looking into.
The anti-graft agency had in the past arrested Akpabio over the alleged theft of N108.1 billion of Akwa Ibom funds.