The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has strongly denied claims that its Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, met with a former South-South governor and his predecessor shortly before their defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The denial follows allegations made by Paul Ibe, spokesperson to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today program on May 22.
Ibe claimed that Olukoyede and the Solicitor General of the Federation held a secret meeting with a current and former South-South governor 48 hours prior to their defection to the APC, allegedly at a government lodge in the region.
The governors implicated are believed to be Sheriff Oborevwori, the current governor of Delta State, and his predecessor, Ifeanyi Okowa, who reportedly left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the APC in April.
In a statement released on Friday, the EFCC described the allegations as “patently fabricated” and expressed outrage over the claims.
“The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is outraged by the unfounded claims of Paul Ibe, describing them as theories, conjectures, and assumptions that lack any basis,” the statement read.
The EFCC emphasized that Chairman Olukoyede has repeatedly asserted his apolitical stance and reaffirmed that the commission operates free from partisan influence.
“Olukoyede has stressed it at several fora that he is apolitical and the EFCC is totally wired against partisan tendencies,” the commission added.
The EFCC urged the public to disregard the allegations, labeling them as mere fabrications existing only in Ibe’s imagination.
