Bassey Albert, the Young Progressives Party‘s, YPP, candidate for governor, was given a 42-year prison term for fraud by a federal high court in Akwa Ibom State.
Albert was charged with six counts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 2019 for allegedly obtaining six automobiles for N204 million while serving as the state’s finance commissioner.
According to reports, he obtained one of the automobiles from Jide Omokore, a friend of former petroleum minister Diezani Alison Madueke. Omokore allegedly had business with the government at the time he provided Bassey with the car.
The Senator was found guilty of the crimes, according to the ruling made on Thursday by Presiding Judge Agatha Okeke. He was consequently ordered to serve his jail term at Ikot Ekpene Correctional Center.
Albert, a senator now serving the northeastern constituency of Akwa Ibom, belonged to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). But in July, he defected to the YPP, where he won the party’s nomination for the governorship in 2023.
It should be recalled that the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel,dispelled allegations linking him to the legal travails of Senator Bassey Akpan.
Governor Emmanuel, while reacting to the speculation that he was behind Albert’s travails, said he knew nothing about the corruption case as the anti-craft agency was only doing its vested duties.
