ICPC did not seal my country home -Sen. Utazi – TheNigerialawyer

Sen. Chukwuka Utazi representing Enugu North Senatorial District
has described as `false’, some media reports that his country home
was sealed by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission
(ICPC).

Utazi made the disclosure in Nsukka on Saturday in an interview
with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) while reacting to alleged
sealing of his country home by ICPC.

He said the officials of ICPC came to his home in Nkpologu in
Uzowani local government in their normal routine checks on
constituency project empowerment materials.

“I showed them materials for the empowerment including 51
tricycles, 208 motorcycles, 212 grinding machines and five
electricity transformers.

“They expressed happiness that the materials supplied by the
Federal Government for senatorial empowerment in my district are
all intact and I informed them I will start the distribution next
week, Aug. 5.

“ICPC routine checks on project empowerment materials are for
all federal lawmakers not for me alone,” he said.

The senator said he was surprised on Friday when some online
platform published that his country home had been sealed by ICPC
for failure to distribute empowerment materials for Enugu North
Senatorial District.

“Some journalists should try to investigate first before
publishing, those that published that story did not even care to
call me to verify the information they received.

“As a Christian, I hand over to God everything about my life as
well as those who accuse me falsely so as to blackmail me.

“The source of the information that my house in the village has
been sealed by ICPC has evil intention to tarnish my image,” he
said.

Utazi, who is the Senate Committee Chairman on Primary
Healthcare and Communicable Diseases, said he did not distribute
the materials during election period because it would be as if he
was inducing people to vote for him.

“I did not distribute these materials during election period so
that people will not say I am using them for campaign or to induce
electorates to vote for me.

“I purposely want to distribute them during National Assembly
annual vacation to enable me to supervise the distributions as well
as to ensure that the right people benefited.

“By next Tuesday, I will start the distribution of the materials
in Igboeze-South and Igboeze-North council areas, Wednesday will be
for Udenu LG, Thursday Nsukka LG then Friday will be for Igboetiti
LG while Uzowani LG will be on Monday July 12,” he said.