The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the recent Edo State election, Asue Ighodalo, have disagreed over the arrest of an Edo PDP chieftain, Jonathan Okunbor.
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In a statement on Wednesday, the EFCC spokesman, Dele Oyewale, said Okunbor was arrested over an alleged diversion of N6bn belonging to local government areas in the state.
The development comes in the wake of an allegation by Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, that LGA chairmen in the state diverted and remitted about N12bn to leaders of Edo PDP leaders in 15 months.
Earlier, based on a petition by Okpebholo, the state House of Assembly had suspected the chairmen of the 18 LGAs in Edo State.
The Assembly suspended them for what it termed insubordination after they shunned Okpebholo’s demand for their councils’ financial statements.
Ighodalo was said to have, in a viral video on Tuesday, raised the alarm about the arrest of one of the party chieftains penned down as a witness in the ongoing legal dispute to challenge the result of the September 21, 2024 election won by Okpebholo.
But in a statement on Wednesday, the EFCC insisted that the PDP chieftain, Okunbor, it arrested was not one of Ighodalo’s witnesses in the ongoing election petition.
The anti-graft agency also said it arrested Okunbor over an alleged diversion of N6bn from Edo LGAs.
The EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, said, “The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has been drawn to a trending video insinuating that Mr. Jonathan Okunbor, a suspect being investigated for an alleged N6bn fraud, was an election tribunal witness.
“The commission wishes to state without any equivocation that Okunbor is not a witness of the Peoples Democratic Party in the election tribunal as claimed by Mr. Asue Ighodalo. Rather, he is a prime suspect connected to a case of misappropriation of funds involving all the 18 local government areas of Edo State.”
According to Oyewale, investigations revealed that approximately N6bn was diverted to Kezmith Global Ventures, a company owned by Okunbor, adding that the suspect allegedly operated the firm using the identity of Godfrey Emode.
He said, “Ongoing investigations showed that about N6bn was diverted to Kezmith Global Ventures owned by Okunbor. The suspect was running the ventures using the name and identity of Mr. Godfrey Emode. “
Oyewale explained that Emode’s arrest led investigators to Okunbor, who was found at Eterno Hotel during a pre-trial meeting on Tuesday.
According to him, Ighodalo’s lawyer confirmed to the EFCC that Okunbor was not a witness at the tribunal.
“The commission’s investigators, in their quest to unearth the shadiness of Okunbor, arrested Emode, who led them to the suspect in Eterno Hotel, where a pre-trial meeting was being held.
“Investigators interrogated the counsel for Ighodalo on the status of Okunbor in the election tribunal matters and he clearly stated that he was not a witness in the matter,” Oyewale said.
He said despite resistance from Ighodalo and others at the scene, he said EFCC officers proceeded with Okunbor’s arrest.
Oyewale said, “In spite of this, Mr. Ighodalo and his co-travellers at Eterno Hotel prevented EFCC officers from carrying out their constitutional duty and obstructed them from arresting Okunbor.
“Specifically, Ighodalo insisted that Okunbor was his witness when it was obvious that he only wanted to aid his escape from the commission’s investigators.”
Oyewale said the EFCC was committed to upholding the rule of law, saying its focus remained on pursuing corruption charges irrespective of any tribunal-related affiliations.
“The EFCC remains committed to its adherence to the rule of law and the commission has no business with any Edo State election witness that has no corruption charge before it. The EFCC will not hesitate to bring anyone to trial, witness or no witness, if it has a basis for doing so,” he said.
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