Court Sentences Akwa Ibom YPP Gubernatorial Candidate To 42 years Imprisonment For Fraud

The governorship candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) in Akwa Ibom State, Bassey Albert, has been sentenced to 42 years in prison for financial fraud.

The serving senator representing Akwa Ibom north-east senatorial district, was sentenced today by a federal high court in the state.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had, in 2019, arraigned Albert on a six-count charge of allegedly taking possession of six vehicles worth N204 million when he was finance commissioner in the state.

He reportedly collected one of the vehicles from Jide Omokore, an associate of Diezani Alison Madueke, former minister of petroleum.

Omokore was said to have had dealings with the state when he offered Bassey the vehicles.

Justice Agatha Okeke, the presiding judge, found the senator guilty of the offences, and consequently sentenced him to Ikot Ekpene prison to serve his jail term.

Albert was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He, however, defected to the YPP in July, where he secured the party’s ticket for the 2023 governorship election.