Former presidential aide, Doyin Okupe, has stepped down from the position of Director General of the Obi-Datti Campaign Council on Tuesday.
Okupe made this known in a letter addressed to the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, in which he stated that he won’t want his personal travails to affect their campaign.
This was after he was convicted of violating money laudnering Act by a Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday.
In his letter to Obi, he said, “Dear Peter, you will recall that I briefed you yesterday about my personal travails in seeking justice and clearing my name using the Nigerian legal system to pursue same.
“I have invested too much in your campaign to allow my personal travails to become a source of distraction.
“In the circumstances, I have decided to step aside and plead that you appoint a new campaign DG who can continue the assignment with zero distractions. God bless you and your family.”
According to a statement by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, “In a well-considered judgment, the trial court held that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, successfully established its case against Okupe, that evidence before it established that the defendant had in the discharge of his official duties, accepted cash payments that were above the statutory threshold, without recourse to a financial institution.
“It was alleged that Okupe received funds from the office of the National Security Adviser, NSA, which he could not account for. He was convicted and sentenced to two years imprisonment on counts 34 to 59. The charges are centred on accusations of receiving various sums ranging from N10million in different occasions from 2012 to 2015 from ONSA when he was senior special assistant on public affairs to former President Goodluck Jonathan. The court however gave the defendant an option of N500, 000 fine on each of the counts.
“He was however discharged on counts one to 33 which bordered on money laundering and criminal breach of trust
“He was mandated to pay the fine before 4.30 pm or be committed to prison.”
