Benue State reports Doyin Okupe to EFCC, says he’s yet to return N635.7m

ACTION Congress of Nigeria and the Congress for Progressive Change on Thursday lashed out at President Goodluck Jonathan for the non-prosecution of his Senior Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr Doyin Okupe.

Both parties accused the President of encouraging corruption.

The Benue State Commissioner for Works and Transport, Benjamin Ashaver, had on Wednesday said the state had reported Okupe to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Ashaver stated that the presidential spokesman had yet to return N635.7m to the state government for the “shoddy job” done by his company, Value Trust Investment Limited, eight years ago.

The EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, told one of our correspondents last week that he was not aware of the case against Okupe.

But on Thursday, the CPC said the appointment of a “man with such corruptive antecedent by a regime that gloats about its anti-graft stance leaves sour grape in the mouth”.

The party recalled that the former President Olusegun Obasanjo administration showed much courage in ordering the retirement and eventual prosecution of its serving Inspector General of Police, Mr. Tafa Balogun, “immediately the latter’s sleazy tendency came to light”.

The CPC, in a statement by its spokesman, Rotimi Fashakin, said, “The continued shielding of Dr Doyin Okupe from prosecution by the Jonathan regime has thrown up some questions.

“Does it mean that this criminal past by Dr Okupe was opaque to the President at the time of making the appointment?

“Is President Jonathan interested in excoriating his political adversaries (which Okupe’s appointment ensures) more than leading a Nation with Zero Tolerance for corruptive tendencies?

It said, “Therefore, we insist that this Jonathan regime should relieve Dr Okupe of his appointment and hand him over for prosecution.”

In a telephone interview with one of our correspondents, the National Publicity Secretary of the ACN, Lai Mohammed, said Okupe, was “morally damaged”.

He added that the Jonathan administration had no moral right to arraign fuel subsidy thieves.

But Okupe, in a statement by Dr Sanya Awosan of the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, said opposition parties were waging a campaign of calumny against him.

Okupe said he would, in a few days address the Nigerian public to clear his name of accusations that he was involved in a contract scam.

Reacting to the ACN’s call for his sacking, Okupe described the allegation as a campaign of calumny orchestrated by the opposition party.

“We have observed the massively orchestrated campaign of calumny against the person of Dr. Okupe on the issue of contractual obligations of two companies where he had interest and used to serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors,” the statement added.

via Punch News