Okupe’s Conviction Can’t Affect Peter Obi’s Chances, Adeyanju, Ohanaeze’s Ibegbu Declare, Say He Is Tornado

Several reactions have trailed the conviction of the embattled Labour Party (LP) campaign Director-General, Doyin Okupe since Monday when he was sentenced to jail by a Federal High Court judge in Abuja for breaching the money laundering act.

Naija News reports that Okupe, following criticisms from various political parties including the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) asking him to resign his position in the Labour Party, hid to calls and stepped down from his position on Tuesday.

However, while different reactions have erupted on how the whole conviction saga of Okupe would affect the chances of the Labour Party’s flag bearer, Peter Obi, some supporters of the party say it can’t affect Obi in any way because he is a tornado.

This platform gathered that a former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chuks Ibegbu told Daily Post that there was no way Okupe’s conviction saga would affect Obi because he is a pan-Nigerian movement.

According to Ibegbu, “Okupe’s conviction would not affect Peter Obi’s chances. Obi is a hurricane, a tornado, a bandwagon, a pan-Nigerian movement, so Okupe’s conviction will not affect him.

“He is a movement which has shown that Nigerians want to take back their country from the criminals that have held us down for the past years.

“Okupe has the right to appeal, and until he explores all his legal rights, Nigerians can’t conclude whether he’s guilty or not guilty.

“We are waiting for him to exercise his rights; hence we can’t conclude now, but for the hurricane, nothing will stop him because Nigerians want to recover their country from these vagabonds in power that have held us down for the past 50 years.”

Similarly, Naija News understands that an Abuja-based activist, Deji Adeyanju also opined that Okupe’s conviction would not in any way affect Obi’s chances at the polls in the 2023 general election.

Adeyanju told Daily Post that he thinks Okupe can’t be accused of corruption because he was not the NSA who stole public funds, but however a crime was committed because he accepted cash above N5 million.

The activist lawyer pointed out that “I have now studied excerpts of My Lord, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu’s judgment in Okupe’s case and can confirm it is a sound decision. The basis of her conviction of Okupe is on the issue of receiving cash above the prescribed N5m for individuals as stipulated in the Money Laundering Act.

“I insist that Okupe wasn’t in a position to know whether the money from ONSA was from an illicit fund and as such no burden can be placed on him because the duty of care will always be on Dasuki, who ought to know.

“However, a crime was committed by accepting cash above N5m by Okupe. Doyin Okupe cannot be accused of any corruption whatsoever because he was not the NSA who stole public funds, but his only mistake is breaching the MLA by receiving cash above the lawfully prescribed sum. And almost all Nigerians make this mistake.

“Furthermore, it is my measured view that keeping Okupe on as DG of Obi’s campaign will not affect him in any way. Yes, I agree that candidates should normally do due diligence before appointing people into their campaign councils.”