Council Chairman, Tommey, in alleged certificate forgery scandal

By Emem Ntuk

Mr. Akaninyene Tommey Ikott, the Transition Committee in Eket Local Government Council, in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, is parading a fake university certificate, according to the University of Calabar, Cross River State.

Tommey, as he is widely known, who is an ally of the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, claims to have obtained a Bachelor of Science (Hons.) Degree in Social Work from the institution in 2015, but an enquiry lodged by a United States based Attorney, Sara Sass Esq. of SASS Law LLC, 8645 Richmond Road, Alexandria Washington DC,
to the institution led to a finding quite different from Ikott’s claim.

A letter from the Registrar of the University, Gabriel O. Egbe, addressed to Sass Esq., dated, July 23, 2024, reads:

“Ikott, Akaniyene Tommey was a student in the Departrnent of Social Work of
this University;

“According to his Head of Department and records available, he still has some
failed courses to remedy;

“Therefore, the attached claimed certificate is FAKE and did not emanate from this University.

“His academic transcript can only be processed on request and payment of the required.”

It could be recalled that sometime in May 2024 a detachment of police officers from the Akwa Ibom State police command had arrested Mr. Ikott at his country home at Eket on the petition of one Mr Bassey Abasiatak, complaining that Hon. Ikott had forged the said certificate which he presented to the Akwa Ibom State Independent Electoral Commission (AKISIEC) to contest election into the office of a councillor in 2017 and office of the Eket Local Government Chairman in 2020.

He was however left off the hook.

Governor Eno has since anointed the embattled Ikott as the favoured candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the chairmanship poll slated to hold in October 2024.

The Chairman could not be reached for a comment before press time.

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