The former Director-General of the now-defunct Peter Obi Presidential Campaign Organization, Dr. Doyin Okupe, made a statement in a recent televised interview, regarding his legal challenges and the outcome of his trial.
Dr. Okupe, who has a long-standing career in Nigerian politics and public service, including serving as an aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, faced allegations of money laundering by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in 2023.
On December 19, 2023, Dr. Okupe was convicted by the Federal High Court in Abuja for money laundering involving a sum of N700 million. The court offered him a two-year jail sentence with an alternative option of paying a fine.
Dr. Okupe addressed these events on Arise TV, where he stated: “I was never convicted of corruption. I was discharged from all 34 charges of corruption. I was discharged completely.
“What I was convicted of was money laundering which is not corruption. I was being funded under the directive of Mr President by the NSA.
“My trial was politically motivated. My arrest and prosecution by the EFCC was malicious. It was not even a prosecution but persecution.
“For you to convict someone of money laundering, there must be concealment but I have never concealed anything.
“Secondly, there must be a direct benefit to the person who collected the money but there was no direct benefit to me and I was able to prove that in the court.
“Some people in the presidency wanted to punish me.”
Dr. Okupe argued that his conviction was not related to corruption but rather to charges of money laundering, which he claims were unfounded and politically motivated.
He emphasized that the funds he received were under the directive of the President and managed by the National Security Adviser, suggesting that his actions were within the scope of his official duties.