Senator Victor Umeh (Labour Party), representing Anambra Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly, has refuted claims that he received $10,000 to support the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu.
In a statement, Umeh condemned the report credited to online newspaper, warning the media outlet to cease what he described as repeated attempts to blackmail him. He emphasized that this was the third time the platform had published what he called false allegations against him.
It was gathered that the online platform had published a report on Wednesday alleging that senators were bribed with $10,000 to approve the suspension of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara. The report further claimed that Umeh was involved in distributing the money at the private residence of Senate President Godswill Akpabio in Abuja.
Dismissing the allegations, Umeh stated that he neither received any money nor attended any meeting where such payments were allegedly made.He said: “I did not receive any money to support the approval of the state of emergency in Rivers State. I was not at any meeting where such payments were allegedly made.”
The senator explained that on Tuesday evening, he had attended the traditional Iftar (breaking of fast) gathering at the Senate Guest House. He noted that after Senator Adamu Aliero led the Muslim prayer, he was invited to offer the Christian prayer.“I prayed for God to grant peace to all parts of Nigeria and reconciliation to all the warring parties in Rivers State.“I prayed for love and for all Nigerians to embrace one another for the good of our nation. We did not discuss a state of emergency in Rivers State at the Iftar. There were other Labour Party senators at the Iftar,” Umeh clarified.
He described the allegations as a deliberate attempt to tarnish his reputation and mislead the public. Reassuring his constituents, he vowed to remain focused on his legislative duties despite what he called an ongoing smear campaign.
“This is not the first time Sahara Reporters has published false information about me. It’s becoming serial blackmail, and I’m warning them to stop. I will not be distracted by their false reports, and I will continue to serve my constituents with dignity and integrity,” Umeh asserted.
