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Paul Ibe, spokesperson for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, recently alleged that Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chairman Ola Olukoyede met with a sitting governor and his predecessor just before their defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC). According to Ibe, the meeting took place at a government lodge in a south-south state, 48 hours before the governors officially joined the APC. He also claimed the Solicitor-General of the Federation was present, though he declined to name the individuals involved.
The EFCC quickly dismissed these claims as baseless. In a statement issued on May 23, the agency’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, emphasized Olukoyede’s commitment to neutrality and non-partisanship. “Olukoyede has stressed at several fora that he is apolitical, and the EFCC is firmly opposed to partisan tendencies,” the statement read, describing the allegations as “patently fabricated and in bad taste.”
Kamarudeen Ogundele, media aide to Attorney-General Lateef Fagbemi, also condemned the allegations as false. “Though Mr. Ibe did not name names, the public can infer who he might be referring to. Nevertheless, we categorically state that these allegations are from the pit of hell—a figment of Mr. Ibe’s imagination,” Ogundele said.
These allegations surface amid a wave of high-profile defections from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling APC. In April, Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and his predecessor, Ifeanyi Okowa, joined the APC. Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno has also signaled plans to defect. Both states lie within Nigeria’s south-south geopolitical zone, the region implicated in Ibe’s claims.
The defections have raised concerns about the growing dominance of the APC and fears that Nigeria may be drifting toward a one-party political system.
