APC governorship candidate denies bribing Justice Okoro

The allegation was made by Justice Okoro, one of the judges who was recently arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) on charges of fraud.

“Justice Okoro’s claim is an afterthought and diversionary. For a man of his standing and knowledge of the law, he should have known the legal implications of such a visit if it took place at all,” Umana said via a statement released on Tuesday, October 18.

“He should have reported to the appropriate authorities immediately. This he didn’t do. I did not visit the Judge. His story is a fiction. He should address himself to the facts of the case which is between him and the state and leave Umana out of it,” he added.

Okoro also accused Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi of attempted bribery.

”My Lord, I strongly believe that this my travail is not unconnected with the verbal report I made to you on 1st February, 2016 about the visit to my official residence by HE, Rotimi Amaechi, former Governor of Rivers State and now Minister of Transportation,” Okoro said in his October 17 letter to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and Chairman of the National Judicial Council (NJC), Justice Mahmud Mohammed.

“In that report, I told you My Lord, that Mr. Amaechi said that the President of Nigeria and the All Progressives Congress mandated him to inform me that they must win their election appeals in respect of Rivers State, Akwa Ibom State and Abia State at all costs.

“For Akwa Ibom State, he alleged that he sponsored Mr. Umana Umana, candidate of All Progressives Congress for that election and that if he lost Akwa Ibom appeal, he would have lost a fortune. Mr. Amaechi also said that he had already visited you and that you had agreed to make me a member of the panel that would hear the appeals.

“He further told me that Mr. Umana would be paying me millions of naira monthly if I co-operated with them. My response, as I told you on that date was that it does not lie within my power to grant his request and that I would do all within my power not to be in the panel for Akwa Ibom State. My Lord graciously left me out of the panel for Akwa Ibom State,” he added.

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Amaechi has also denied the allegations.