FOLLOWING recent allegations of past financial improprieties levied against newly-appointed presidency official, Dr. Doyin Okupe, by the leadership of the opposition party Action Congress of Nigeria, Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Benue State government has come out to refute the charges as false.
According to a Monday statement released by Lai Mohamed, the national publicity secretary of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Dr. Okupe, who is President Jonathan’s senior special assistant on public affairs, had pocketed the sum of 200 million naira that was released to him as mobilization fees for a contract that he won from the Benue State government, without ever carrying out the actual project.
Investigations into the matter are however revealing that the whole issue might be an attempt by political opposition in Nigeria to smear the Dr. Opuke and the incumbent administration of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan who appointed him to help projective a positive image of the administration and its achievements.
Political observers on the other side of the spectrum have criticized Lai Mohammed and the Action Congress and accused the party and its leaders of hypocrisy. They pointed out the issue of the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly whose instranciegencies have so far not been publicly addressed by the opposition party leadership.
Speaker Adeyemi Ikuforiji is currently under investigation and trial for his role in the missing N7 billion of which about N500 meant for Nigerians have been siphoned. The former Speaker The legislator is also alleged to be tried and conflicted felony charges whie he was resident in the United States.
Inside information into the whole ordeal are revealing what they call the root of the attack, saying future ambitions on Dr. Okupe’s part (to contest the governorship candidacy) must involve them.
Dr. Okupe continues to deny all the charges against him.
Spokesman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Wilson Uwujiaren, said on Monday that the reports about medical doctor-turned politician.
Also, top official of the Benue Government who refused to be named because he was not mandated to officially speak for the Government said that Okupe did not bolt away with any government funds, and that the claim is the figment of the opposition’s imagination.
According to Uwujiaren “ I am not aware , and it is not to my notice that (Doyin) Okupe is under investigation”
The source close to the Benue Government said “ the allegation that he took some huge sums of cash and did not execute the project is total falsehood. This is just the handiwork of the AC, and it is very sad that we should be mudslinging someone because we belong to a different party”