Labour Party Senator Denies Alleged $10,000 Bribe Over Rivers Emergency Rule

A Labour Party senator has reacted to allegations of receiving a $10,000 bribe to support the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers, calling the claims baseless.

Senator Victor Umeh of the Labour Party, representing Anambra Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly, has denied allegations that he accepted $10,000 to endorse President Bola Tinubu’s call for a state of emergency in Rivers State.

In a statement, Umeh criticized the report attributed to an online newspaper and cautioned the media outlet against what he termed as ongoing attempts to blackmail him. He highlighted that this was the third occasion on which false allegations about him had been published by the platform.

Reports have surfaced that an online platform published a piece on Wednesday, alleging that senators received $10,000 bribes to support the suspension of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara. The publication also claimed Umeh participated in handing out the money at Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s private residence in Abuja.

Refuting the allegations, Umeh declared that he neither accepted any money nor participated in any meeting where these payments were purportedly made. He stated: “I did not receive any funds to endorse the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State. I was not present at any gathering where such transactions allegedly occurred.”

The senator shared that on Tuesday evening, he participated in the traditional Iftar (breaking of fast) gathering at the Senate Guest House. He mentioned that after Senator Adamu Aliero led a Muslim prayer, he was invited to deliver a Christian prayer. “I prayed for God to bring peace across Nigeria and reconciliation among all conflicting groups in Rivers State,” he said.”I also prayed for love and unity so that all Nigerians may support one another for our nation’s well-being. During the Iftar, we did not discuss declaring a state of emergency in Rivers State; there were other Labour Party senators present as well,” Umeh clarified.

He characterized the allegations as an intentional effort to damage his reputation and deceive the public. Assuring his constituents, he promised to stay committed to his legislative responsibilities despite what he described as a continuing smear campaign.

“This is not the first instance of Sahara Reporters publishing inaccurate information about me. It’s turning into a pattern of blackmail, and I am cautioning them to cease this behavior. Their false reports will not distract me from serving my constituents with dignity and integrity,” Umeh declared.