EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede Denies Pre-Defection Meeting with Governors

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has categorically denied reports that its chairman, Ola Olukoyede, engaged in a secret meeting with a serving governor and his predecessor from the South-South region just two days before their defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The allegation was made by Paul Ibe, spokesperson to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, during a recent interview on Channels Television. Ibe claimed that Olukoyede and the Solicitor General of the Federation met with the two governors at a government lodge in the South-South state 48 hours before their political switch.

EFCC’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, dismissed the claims in a statement released on Friday, describing them as “unfounded” and “based on conjectures.” Oyewale emphasized that Olukoyede is “apolitical” and that the EFCC maintains a strict policy against political bias.

The statement read, “The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is outraged by the unfounded claims of Mr. Paul Ibe, spokesperson to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President, alleging that Ola Olukoyede, Executive Chairman, held a secret meeting with an unnamed politician.”

Oyewale urged the public to disregard the allegation, stating it exists only in the imagination of the accuser.

This controversy arises amid recent political shifts in the South-South, including the defection of Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and his predecessor Ifeanyi Okowa from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC. The Governor of Akwa Ibom has also indicated plans to join the APC.