Daybreak, Politics, Entertainment, Sport

Tag: Doyin Okupe

  • EFCC Speaks on DSS arrest of Doyin Okupe

    EFCC Speaks on DSS arrest of Doyin Okupe

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has commented on the arrest of Doyin Okupe.

    The ex-Director General of the Peter Obi-Datti Baba Ahmed Campaign was detained earlier on Thursday.

    The Department of State Services (DSS) arrested him at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.

    The former presidential adviser confirmed he was heading to the United Kingdom for medical attention.

    EFCC Head of Media, Wilson Uwujaren said the DSS informed the commission of the interception.

    The spokesperson noted that the security agency acted on a watchlist request issued on July 18, 2016.

    That was six years before Okupe’s recent conviction on money laundering charges by the Federal High Court, Abuja.

    “The Commission was in the process of formally lifting the watch list before his interception and will expedite action in this regard”, Uwujaren added.

    Okupe, who has been released, disclosed that EFCC senior officers in Lagos or Abuja “apologised for the error”.

  • JUST IN: Federal Agents Arrest Doyin Okupe at Airport

    JUST IN: Federal Agents Arrest Doyin Okupe at Airport

    Doyin Okupe, the former Director-General of Peter Obi’s presidential campaign, was arrested on Thursday morning by operatives of the Department of States Service, DSS, at the Muritala Mohammed Internationa Airport in Lagos.

    Okupe’s lawyer, Tolu Babaleye announced the arrest.

    He said Okupe was arrested while on his way to London.

    Babaleye said: “The information reaching me now is that Dr. Doyin Okupe has been arrested at Lagos Airport by the DSS on his way to London. The reason according to the source is that he was asked to produce evidence that the Federal High Court Abuja has freed him from the case in which he was convicted and paid a fine to the knowledge of the whole world and was allowed to go home. When will this harassment stop? Who is after Dr. Doyin Okupe? As of today, the man has no case to answer anywhere, I hereby demand that the DSS should release my client immediately as it’s a violation of his freedom of movement, right to liberty, and dignity as a human person. This is unfair as the man’s health is fast failing!”

    Okupe, a former Senior Special Assistant to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, was found guilty, in December 2022, of receiving over N200m cash from a former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd).

    He was therefore sentenced to two years imprisonment by Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of a Federal High Court in Abuja with an option of N500,000 fine on each of the 26 count charges for which he was found guilty.

    Delivering her judgment, Justice Ojukwu held that Okupe, who is the first defendant in the suit filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission violated the Money Laundering Act.

    She said he had up to 4.30 pm to pay the fine option totaling N13m on all the charges he was found guilty of or be sent to the Kuje Correctional Centre.

    Okupe, however, avoided jail by paying the fine.

  • Doyin Okupe steps down as Obi-Datti Campaign DG

    Doyin Okupe steps down as Obi-Datti Campaign DG

    Dr Doyin Okupe, the Director General of the Labour Party (LP) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) has resigned his position following his conviction over money laundering charges.

    Okupe announced his resignation in a letter addressed to the Presidential Candidate of the party, Peter Obi, dated December 20, 2022.

    Okupe’s resignation comes hours after he was convicted over money laundering charges.

    Okupe in the letter said he had invested so much in the LP Campaign to allow his personal travails to become a source of distraction,hence his decision to quit.

  • I am undaunted by Okupe’s conviction, says Peter Obi

    I am undaunted by Okupe’s conviction, says Peter Obi

    By Odo Ogenyi, Uyo

    Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi has said that the witch-hunting of persons in his campaign team cannot break his resolve to be Nigeria’s president.

    The former Anambra State governor was reacting to yesterday’s conviction of the Director General of his campaign council and former minister of information, Chief Doyin Okupe while interacting with journalists at the NUJ Press Centre in Uyo.

    He said he is undaunted by the conviction of Okupe over alleged money laundering.

    “I am hearing about it(the conviction) just like you. I am still studying what is coming out of the courts and everything. I believe in the rule of law. It is not going to demoralize me.

    “Today when I arrived Akwa Ibom somebody asked me why I haven’t been using my aircraft because it has been grounded and all that and I said to him that nothing demoralizes me. 

    “In my life I have never stayed where they dropped me otherwise I would have been where they dropped me before.This election if they like let them anything about people who are around me. I will get there.” He explained.

    On the impression that he does not have political structure to win the presidential election, he said he was determined to dismantle the existing political structure in the country because they brought corruption and poverty to Nigerians.

    “The structure they have today is the structure we want to destroy. It is the structure of criminality. It is structure that produced 133million people living in poverty, it is the structure that produced 20 million out of school children.

    ” It is the structure that has made Nigeria surpass India in infant mortality. It is the structure that will destroy Nigeria and we want to destroy that structure.” He said.

    The LP presidential candidate said if elected president he would work towards the realization of the Ibaka Deep seaport and make Akwa Ibom an export processing centre to process the industrial potentials of Aba and environs.

    Obi maintained that he intends to make Nigeria a country of production rather than a consuming one regretting that no country of the size of Nigeria generates less than Nigeria.

  • Money Laundering: Court Sentence Okupe To Two Years In Prison

    Money Laundering: Court Sentence Okupe To Two Years In Prison

    The Federal High Court Abuja has found Dr Doyin Okupe guilty of receiving over N200 million cash from former National Security Adviser (NSA) Col. Sambo Dasuki and also sentenced him to two years imprisonment.

    Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu while delivering judgement on Monday, held that the action of Okupe, who is the first defendant in the suit filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), violated the Money Laundering Act.

    The court sentenced Okupe, who is the Director-General of the Peter Obi Campaign Organisation, to two years imprisonment on count 34 with an option of a fine of N500,000.

    The court also sentenced him to two years imprisonment on counts 35 to 59 with an option fine of N500,000. The option of fine is to run consecutively on each count while the sentence is to run concurrently. The sentence to run from the day of delivering the judgment.

    The court noted that it refrains from making any custodial order, but the convict is the property of the state.

    The judge also gave Okupe till 4:30 pm before being taken into custody. Okupe was found guilty in counts 34 to 59 o the charges.

  • Money Laundering: Court Convicts Peter Obi’s Campaign DG, Doyin Okupe

    Money Laundering: Court Convicts Peter Obi’s Campaign DG, Doyin Okupe

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has convicted the Director-General of the Peter Obi Presidential Campaign Doyin Okupe over money laundering. 

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned the Director-General of the Peter Obi Presidential Campaign in 2019 on a 59-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering and diversion of N702 million.

    Details later…

  • Ogun Labour Party Warns Okupe not to Represent Party Again

    Ogun Labour Party Warns Okupe not to Represent Party Again

    The Labour Party (LP), Ogun State yesterday, warned the Director General of the Peter Obi Presidential Campaign Committee, Dr Doyin Okupe and some members of the State Working Committee of the party, to stop representing the party, henceforth or be ready for a law suit.

    The warning, was issued at a news conference addressed by the State LP chairman, Mr. Michael Ashade in Abeokuta, stating that Okupe has lost membership of the party, for allegedly flouting Article 9(3)iii of party’s constitution.

    Ashade, who listed names of SWC members that had to vacate their offices, said they had contravened the same section of the Constitution of the party that deals with payment of party financial contribution to the party.

    Flanked by the LP State Secretary, Feyisola Michael, Ashade stated “

    “Article 9(3)iii of our Party’s Constitution states as follows: “only members who pay their monthly membership dues at rates prescribed shall be deemed to be bonafide members of the Party. Arrears of dues of up to six months shall lead to forfeiture of membership.

    “Despite repeated demand from various meetings I had with Dr Doyin Okupe in respect of his mandatory constitutional requirements to fulfill membership’s status, he has failed woefully in this regards with some others to flagrantly disobey the constitution of LP.

    He has polarized the party in Ogun State with his crops of PDP dissidents political liabilities who are only using LP to revive their irredeemable dead political lives.

    “Therefore in line with Article 19(3) of the Labour Party constitutional provision, we declare that Dr. Doyin Okupe, having failed in the payment of his membership dues for the last six months of joining the party, has forfeited his membership of the party and no longer fit and competent to continue to act as the DG of the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC).

    “We hereby notify our National Chairman Julius Abure and LP presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, that it’s expedient to obey the constitution of LP by immediately appointing another DG for the PCC and that should come from the North to reflect Federal Characters and political balance.

    “We challenge Dr. Doyin Okupe to provide evidence of any payment in respect of membership dues prior to today into any bank account of the party.

    “Article 9(3)xi of the Party’s Constitution states that “only fully registered and financially up to date members of the Party shall have the right to vie for office in the Ward Executive, Local Government Area Executive, State Executive Councils and the National Working Committee of the Party or be a delegate to the Congresses and the National Convention”.

    Ashade listed the names and offices of the people, who seized to be members of the party, for allegedly contravening the constitution.

    The affected persons are: Dr Doyin Okupe, Mr Abayomi Collins, Hon. Abel Olaleye,Jagub Lookman, who is the Deputy State Chairman II, Ogun East.

    Other affected persons are: Mrs Oluwabukola Soyoye, former State Women Leader; Mr. Gbadebo Fesomade, former State Treasurer;

    Mr. Abdulmalik Olaleye, former State Youth Leader; Mr. Jide Amusan, former State Publicity Secretary; Mr. Adeshina Wasiu Shojobi, former Asst State Youth Leader.

    The list also affected Miss Deborah Adewale, Former Senatorial Women Leader Ogun East;

    Mr. Olatunde Abolade, former Asst State Secretary

    The LP chairman, said the State Executive Council has therefore approved their replacement in acting capacity since nature abhor vacuum.

    He said: “Any disobedience exhibited by any of the affected former party members shall be resisted through lawful means of enforcement in the court of competent jurisdiction.”

    Contributing, the LP National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Abayomi Arabambi, said as a national officer of the party, the action of the SWC , was in line with the constitution of the party.

    He said: “I am in total support of the action of the State Exco of the Labour Party. I hereby warned the LP Presidential Candidate, Mr Peter Obi, to stop relating with Dr Doyin Okupe. If he did not abide by the warning, we shall head for court and do things that will adversely affect our candidate and we shall scatter everything. “

  • Labour Party Dismisses It’s PCC DG, Doyin Okupe, Others

    Labour Party Dismisses It’s PCC DG, Doyin Okupe, Others

    The Ogun State chapter of the Labour Party has expelled the party’s Director General of the Presidential Campaign Council, Dr Doyin Okupe, for failure to perform his financial membership status in the past six months contrary to the dictate of the party’s constitution.

    Okupe was dismissed alongside Abayomi Collins, Abel Olaleye, Jagun Lookman, Olori Oluwabukola Soyoye,  Gbadebo Fesomade, (former State Treasurer), and  Abdulmalik Olaleye (former State Youth Leader). The rest are Jide Amusan( former State Publicity Secretary), Adeshina Wasiu Shojobi (former Asst State Youth Leader), Deborah Adewale, (former Senatorial Women Leader Ogun East), and Olatunde Abolade (former Asst State Secretary).

    This was part of the resolutions reached at the end of a meeting held at the party’s secretariat in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital on Thursday where they called for the emergence of a new director general of Northern extraction to reflect the national character and political balance.

    “Article 9(3) iii of our Party’s Constitution states as follows: ‘only members who pay their monthly membership dues at rates prescribed shall be deemed to be bonafide members of the party. Arrears of dues of up to six months shall lead to forfeiture of membership,” the State Chairman of the party Michael Ashade said.

    “Despite repeated demands from various meetings I had with Dr. Doyin Okupe in respect of his mandatory constitutional requirements to fulfill membership status, he has failed woefully in this regard with some others to flagrantly disobey the Constitution of Labour party.

    “In line with article 19(3) of the Labour Party constitutional provision, we declare that Dr. Doyin Okupe, having failed in the payment of his membership dues for the last six months of joining the party, has forfeited his membership of the party and no longer fit and competent to continue to act as the DG of the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC).

    “We hereby notify our National Chairman, Bar Julius Abure and Labour Party Presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, that it’s expedient to obey the Constitution of the party by immediately appointing another DG for the PCC and that should come from the North to reflect Federal Characters and political balance.”

    He said their action has become imperative in order to enforce discipline and internal democracy as he accused Okupe of polarising the Labour Party in the South-West state “with his crops of PDP  dissidents political liabilities who are only using Labour Party to revive their not only irredeemable dead political and financial lives but has successfully stolen all that is available in LP”.

  • 2023: Labour Party Still in Talk with Kwankwaso, Others For Possible Alliance, says Okupe

    2023: Labour Party Still in Talk with Kwankwaso, Others For Possible Alliance, says Okupe

    Ahead of the 2023 general election, the Director General of the Labour Party (LP) Presidential Campaign Council, Doyin Okupe has disclosed that the party is still in talks with the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) Rabiu Kwankwaso and others with a view to forming formidable alliance.

    Earlier in the year, there were reports that Kwankwaso and the presidential candidate of the Labour Party Peter Obi were in talks for a possible alliance. The move, did not, however, materialise.

    But Okupe said despite that, the LP is still looking to form an alliance with Kwankwaso and other parties.

    “As a party, at our own campaign level, we are talking to SDP; we are talking to even Kwankwaso and his team again. We are talking to PRP and ADC,” he said on Channels Television’s Hard Copy, a prerecorded show aired on Friday.

    “I believe and I trust that God will help us that between now and December, we would bring together that alignment politically in the country and the country would be better for it.”

    According to him, the move is to ensure that “whoever wins is not just winning on a sole effort; we are winning with the cooperation of many of as many groups as possible”.

    He also dismissed criticisms over Obi’s visits to some power brokers in the country, saying it was meant solely for “carrying everybody along” in the scheme of things.

    “Somebody won an election in this country, he did not rule. He was loved by Nigerians but some stakeholders stopped that. We have to avoid that by carrying everybody along, “Okupe added.

    “Even if they don’t agree with us initially, let them not oppose us; let them not see us as enemies. We are not enemies of anybody, a group, or any part of the country. We are just a sect of people who mean well for the country…”

  • Doyin Okupe Resigns As Labour Party VP Candidate

    Doyin Okupe Resigns As Labour Party VP Candidate

    A former presidential spokesperson, Doyin Okupe, has submitted a withdrawal letter from the position of the Vice Presidential candidate of the Labour Party.

    Mr Okupe made the announcement on Twitter.

    “This afternoon I submitted my withdrawal letter from the position of the Vice Presidential candidate of the Labour Party to INEC,” he said.

    “A replacement will be announced by the national chairman of the party shortly.

    “I feel greatly blessed to have been part of the foundation of success for the Labour Party.”

    Okupe’s withdrawal will not come as a surprise to many. In announcing his emergence as a vice presidential candidate of the party last month, Okupe had made it clear that he was only “standing in” for the actual candidate.

    The party had submitted Mr Okupe’s name to beat the Independent National Electoral Commission’s deadline for the submission of the name of a vice presidential candidate.

    “Choosing the vice presidential candidate is an electoral process and it does not stop until the process and schedule ends,” Mr Okupe said at the time.

    “INEC allows you to present a candidate and later on, if you want to substitute, you may do so, if necessary.”