NIMASA Gives APC Ultimatum To Retract Allegations Of Partisanship

The Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) yesterday gave a 72-hour ultimate to the All Progressive Congress (APC) to retract its allegations that the agency has delved into politics or face legal actions.

There have been reports of allegations by the APC Campaign Organisation that NIMASA is anchoring a campaign against opposition candidate, General Mohammadu Buhari and that the agency has been a fund house for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

But the director-general of the agency, Dr Patrick Akpobolokemi at a world press conference in Lagos yesterday denied involvement of the agency in politics and political campaigns against the opposition party, maintaining that as an agency of government, NIMASA is strictly interested only its statutory functions of regulating the maritime sector as empowered by the acts and doing so professionally.

He therefore demanded apology and retraction of the allegation by the APC or have it face legal actions within 72 hours, as he said he wished the agency not to be dragged into the mud of politics.

“We are giving the APC 72 hours to retract the allegations or NIMASA will take legitimate and lawful steps to seek redress,” Akpobolokemi stated.

He said, “In what has become a deliberate and orchestrated attempt to undermine and rubbish all performing and strategic institutions of the federal government of Nigeria, the APC has mounted relentless attack and vicious propaganda, all in the name of politics, to attack the Nigerian Army, Police, Directorate of State Security, NNPC and its latest victim- NIMASA.

In a swift reaction, the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation (APCPCO) dismissed itigation against it by NIMASA as empty the threat.

A statement by the Directorate of Media and Publicity of the APCPCO signed by Garba Shehu said that the APC will present credible witnesses in court to prove not only this, but the fact that the maritime agency has since transformed into a campaign outpost for the PDP.

NIMASA Act does not envisage the involvement of the agency in political campaign. It certainly has no provision for hate campaigns against Buhari, nor does it allow for the funding of the activities of the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN).

“NIMASA is trying to reduce this to a campaign issue, but the truth is that the conversion of a statutory government agency into one actively promoting partisan political actions of the president is of national significance. It assumes a more serious dimension when staff are denied their dues and money shipped out to fund illegal activities,” Shehu said.