Doyin Okupe, the immediate past Director-General of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, has reportedly been arrested by the Department of State Services at the Muritala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos.
This was disclosed on Facebook by one of his lawyers, Tolu Babaleye, on Thursday, January 12, 2023.
According to him, Okupe was on his way to London.
He claimed that the DSS asked him to provide court processes where he paid the fine option following his money laundering conviction by the Federal High Court, Abuja.
“The reason according to 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 fine to the knowledge of the whole world and was allowed to go home.
“When will this harassment stop? Who is after Dr. Okupe? As of today, the man has no case to answer, I hereby demand that the DSS should release my client immediately as this is a violation of his freedom of movement, right to liberty, and dignity of human person. This is unfair as the man’s health is fast failing,” he stated.
Confirming Okupe’s arrest in a statement on Thursday, the spokesman for the DSS, Peter Afunanya, said Okupe was arrested based on a request from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
He noted Okupe had been handed over to the EFCC.
The statement read, “Doyin Okupe was intercepted by the DSS at Terminal 1 of Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos this morning at the instance of the EFCC. He has long been handed over to the Commission which requested the action. Okupe was billed to fly to London via Virgin Atlan.”
Doyin Okupe Resigns As Labour Party Presidential Campaign DG
Doyin Okupe, the director general of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign, has resigned.
His decision is to enable him pursue his corruption case in the ourt.
He conveyed his decision in a letter to his principal, the Presidential Candidate of the party, Mr. Peter Obi.
Recall that Okupe, on Monday, December 19, 2022, was found guilty of receiving over N200 million cash from former National Security Adviser (NSA) Sambo Dasuki by Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of a Federal High Court in Abuja.
Justice Ojukwu 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.
While stating that the Act provides that no individual or organization shall receive any sum above N5 million and N10 million respectively without passing through a financial institution, the judge held that “there is no evidence that the money passed through a financial institution”.
The court consequently held that the first defendant, Dr Okupe was guilty in counts 34, 35, 36, and 59.
Reacting to the judgement earlier through its Media Officer, Diran Onifade, the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), confirmed that Okupe had paid N13m fine handed to him by the court.
He said as the party that respects the rule of law, its officials will obey court judgments promptly.
Onifade, however, said appealing the judgment is a personal decision Okupe and that the PCC cannot influence that.
Meanwhile, there have been speculations that the Labour Party may consider a replacement for Okupe as the Director-General of its 2023 Presidential Campaign Council.
A party source, on Monday, confirmed that talks were ongoing to replace Okupe.
According to report, the decision will be jointly taken by all concerned including Okupe himself.
Although the source declined to mention possible replacements, there are feelers that a former presidential aide, Akin Oshuntokun, and the serving deputy campaign manager, Isaac Balami have been tipped to replace Okupe.
