Allegations by Paul Ibe, spokesperson for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, that the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, met with a sitting governor and his predecessor shortly before their defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC), have been strongly denied by both the EFCC and the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
Speaking on Channels Television on Thursday, May 22, Ibe claimed that Olukoyede held a closed-door meeting with the unnamed governors at a government lodge in a South-South state just 48 hours before they officially joined the APC. He further alleged that the Solicitor-General of the Federation was present at the meeting. While he declined to name those involved, Ibe strongly implied the governors were from the South-South geopolitical zone.
In a swift response on Friday, May 23, EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale dismissed the allegations as entirely baseless. “Mr. Olukoyede has consistently emphasized his non-partisan stance, and the EFCC operates with zero tolerance for political bias,” Oyewale said in an official statement. He described Ibe’s claims as “patently false and in poor taste.”
Kamarudeen Ogundele, media aide to the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, also refuted the claims, calling them “fictitious” and “a figment of Ibe’s imagination.” He added, “Though he failed to mention names, the public can infer whom he may be alluding to. However, the allegations are entirely untrue and without merit.”
The controversy comes amid a series of high-profile defections from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling APC. Notably, Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and his predecessor Ifeanyi Okowa formally joined the APC in April. Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno is also reportedly considering a move to the ruling party.
These defections have raised broader concerns about the increasing dominance of the APC and fears over Nigeria’s political landscape tilting toward a de facto one-party system.
ok