The Young Progressives Party’s ( YPP ) candidate for governor, Bassey Albert, was sentenced to 42-year prison term for fraud by a federal high court in Akwa Ibom.

When Albert was the state’s finance commissioner, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) accused him of stealing six vehicles valued at N204 million. Albert was charged with six counts of theft in 2019.

According to reports, he obtained one of the vehicles from Jide Omokore, an associate of former petroleum minister Diezani Alison Madueke.

Omokore allegedly had business with the government at the time he provided Bassey the car.

Agatha Okeke, the presiding judge, found the senator guilty of the crimes in her ruling on Thursday.

Consequently, he was sentenced to Ikot Ekpene prison to serve his jail term.

Albert, a senator now serving in the north-east constituency of Akwa Ibom, belonged to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

But in July, he defected to the YPP, where he won the party’s nomination for the governorship in 2023.