THE Peoples Democratic Party, Southwest, on Tuesday continued to tear into the Action Congress of Nigeria over what it sees as hypocrisy on the part of the latter.
Requesting that the ACN must compel two of its political office holders, Mr. Femi Gbajamiala and Mr. Adeyemi Ikuforiji, to resign before it can be taken seriously on issues affecting the polity, PDP southwest criticized the call by ACN for the resignation of Dr. Doyin Okupe over a “yet-to-be-substantiated” case against him.
Mr. Gbajamiala is a legislator representing Lagos in the federal House of Representatives, while Mr. Ikuforiji is the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly
The views were contained in a statement made in Ibadan on Tuesday by the PDP’s zonal public secretary, Mr. Kayode Babade, who questioned the effrontery of the ACN to call for the dismissal of Dr. Okupe, who is the president’s special assistant on public affairs.
“If anyone must be sacked or asked to resign from office, they are the Lagos Speaker, who is facing trial for alleged theft of over N7 billion public fund(s), and the ACN Leader in the House of Representatives who was convicted by the Supreme Court of Georgia, (in the) United States of America for defrauding his client of $25,000,” said Mr. Babade.
The ACN has been loud in its criticism of the appointment of Dr. Okupe, alleging among other things that he absconded with public funds allocated to him for executing a project that he never started or concluded in Benue State.
The incumbent government in Benue has however responded that it has no record of such outstanding project. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, also said it has no pending investigations on Dr. Okupe.
The PDP is alleging that there is more to ACN’s call for the resignation of Dr. Okupe, saying the ACN is only on a mission to intimidate, harass and blackmail PDP members and their government appointees.
The party said on Tuesday it will no longer sit back to watch the ACN “hypocrisy”.
“While we will not defend anyone for committing crime, but we must state that we will no longer sit back and allow these gang of hypocrites in the ACN to harass, blackmail or intimidate our members.
“With the seal and vigour they have been approaching this issue of Dr Okupe, it is obvious that there are more to it than meet the eyes and what we can conclude is that some people are afraid of the man Dr Doyin Okupe and are out to distract him.”
Incidentally, the Governor of Benue State at the time that the alleged financial indiscretion by Okupe occurred was an ACN politician, Governor George Akume, on whose tenure the PDP is now shinning the spotlight as bereft of any noteworthy achievement.