Udom Gabriel Emmanuel //(listen)ⓘ (born 11 July 1966) is a Nigerian politician and accountant who served as governor of Akwa Ibom State from 2015 to 2023.
[4] Emmanuel also served as group head of Income Optimization, Financial Control & Strategic Planning Department at Zenith Bank.
He was in charge of the Telecommunications Sector, Income Optimization and Financial & Strategic Planning Group of Zenith Bank Plc.
"[11] The day after a full investigative article on the budget irregularities was published by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, Nkan along with Commissioner for Economic Development and Ibom Deep Seaport Akan Okon, Commissioner for Information and Strategy Ini Ememobong, and Accountant General Uwem Andrew-Essien arranged a press conference where they claimed that the budget overruns and questionable expenses were due to coding errors in International Public Sector Accounting Standards software.
Ekuwem also did not respond to a Freedom of Information request from ICIR about the inflated amount supposedly spent on the airplane maintenance.
However, reports in 2021 showed that Peacock Paints had fallen to consecutive years of losses and salary nonpayment as mismanagement and corruption kneecapped the company.
The report also showed that the Emmanuel administration had not properly taken over the company causing financial records to still note the state government as holding a 15% stake in Peacock Paints.
Emmanuel's Commissioner for Trade and Investment Ukpong Akpabio along with Peacock Paints management ignored Freedom of Information requests and further inquiries by reporters on the subject.
Furthermore, a professor of finance at Federal University, Otuoke Emmanuel Bush claimed that even if the money was spent on emergencies, it would still constitute "misappropriation and misapplication of fund," which were "impeachable offences.
In a prior press conference, Andy had voiced opposition to Emmanuel's plan to dictate who the PDP nominated to succeed him in the 2023 gubernatorial election.
[19] The UCCDA claimed that the church building, built in 2012, did not meet the necessary planning standards for approval and gave a seven day ultimatum for its demolition.
The demolition ultimately did not occur after Andy swiftly changed opinion post-detainment, posting on Facebook, "I call on the entire youth structures and the Sons of Faith to Support the Completion Agenda of Deacon Udom Emmanuel.