BEVERLY HILLS, July 29, (THEWILL) – Senator Matthew Urhoghide has denied claims he was awarded contracts by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) describing it as untrue and a ploy to misinform the public and his constituency in particular.
THEWILL recalls that Urhoghide, representing Edo South in the upper chamber of the National Assembly, was named by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, as one of the lawmakers who benefited from contract racketeering in reports making the rounds.
According to Akpabio, a former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Senator Urhoghide was allegedly awarded six contracts by the NDDC, a claim the lawmaker has denied.
The Senator said: “For Akpabio to say I have been a beneficiary is unfortunate and is a wicked lie and I just believe whatever mischief he wanted to perpetuate, I think Nigerians, through my own explanation, should be able to read between the lines” the former Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, told Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.
The lawmaker claimed that “Akpabio’s records are not even correct. The contracts (NDDC) I have attracted to my constituency are in excess of eleven,” adding that “he (Akpabio) does not know what is going on.”
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“Out of the six contracts that Akpabio mentioned, four are street lights projects which are ongoing with the contractors (gotten through competitive bidding) not paid a dime as mobilization,” Senator Urhoghide said.
The lawmaker also clarified that the projects are NDDC projects in his constituency.
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