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Peter Obi Reacts To Okupe’s Money Laundering Conviction

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Peter Obi Reacts To Okupe's Money Laundering Conviction
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The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has reacted to the conviction of the Director-General of his Campaign Organisation, Dr Doyin Okupe, over alleged money laundering.

Speaking on Monday during an interaction with the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Akwa Ibom State Council in Uyo, Obi said Okupe’s conviction will not affect his presidential ambition.

The LP flagbearer stated that he will not allow the judgement to demoralise him, adding that he is still studying the court ruling with his campaign team.

Obi said he is determined to be Nigeria’s President in 2023 and would continue with his campaign and allow the due process of law to take its course.

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The LP standard bearer added that nothing will stop his presidential bid, saying that “let them do anything about people who are around me. I will get there.”

He said: “I am hearing about it (the conviction) just like you. I am still studying what is coming out of the court and everything. I believe in the rule of law. It is not going to demoralise me.

“Today, when I arrived in Akwa Ibom somebody asked me why I haven’t been using my aircraft because it has been grounded and all that, and I said to him that nothing demoralises me.

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“In my life, I have never stayed where they dropped me, otherwise, I would have been where they dropped me before. This election, if they like, let them do anything about people who are around me. I will get there.”

It would be recalled that Okupe was on Monday, sentenced to a two-year jail term for the offence of money laundering.

He was convicted on Monday by Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

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The judge gave the ruling as it relates to a money laundering case brought before the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on alleged money laundering and criminal breach of trust to the tune of N702 million.

Okupe was was found guilty of collecting cash payments in excess of the threshold allowed under sections 16(1)&(2) of the Money Laundering Act, without going through a financial institution.

According to the judge, the embattled Labour Party DG was reported to have received hundreds of millions in cash from the office of the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki while he was in office.

He was however given the option of paying the fine of N500,000 each on the 26 counts for which he was found guilty, totalling N13,000,000, which he has paid.