The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has refuted allegations that its chairman, Ola Olukoyede, met with a current and former governor from a South-South state prior to their defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Paul Ibe, spokesperson for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, made the claim during a recent television interview, asserting that Olukoyede and the Solicitor General of the Federation held a meeting with the governors 48 hours before their defection at a government lodge in the South-South region.
The EFCC’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, responded in a statement on Friday, dismissing the allegations as “unfounded” and “based on conjectures.” Oyewale reiterated that Olukoyede is “apolitical” and that the EFCC is “totally wired against partisan tendencies.”
Oyewale’s statement read in part: “The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is outraged by the unfounded claims of Mr. Paul Ibe, spokesperson to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President, alleging that Ola Olukoyede, Executive Chairman, held a secret meeting with an unnamed politician.”
He further urged the public to disregard the allegations, describing them as “patently fabricated and in bad taste.”
This comes against the backdrop of recent defections in the South-South region, where Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and his predecessor Ifeanyi Okowa left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the APC in April. The Governor of Akwa Ibom has also expressed interest in joining the APC.
