Okupe’s conviction for money laundering won’t affect my presidential bid, says Obi

Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party, says the conviction of Doyin Okupe for money laundering will not demoralise him in his bid to become president.

The director-general of the LP campaign organisation was on Monday sentenced to two years imprisonment for breaching the Money Laundering Act.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned Okupe in 2019 on a 59-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering and diversion of funds to the tune of N702 million.

Okupe was said to have received cash from the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) while Sambo Dasuki was in office.

He was however able to avoid jail term by paying the stipulated N13 million fine.

Commenting on the incident during interaction with journalists in Akwa Ibom state, Obi said despite the recent turn of events, he remains undeterred in his ambition.

“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,” NAN quoted Obi as saying.

“Today, when I arrived 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.

“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.”

The LP presidential candidate added that he is determined to “destroy” the existing political structures in the country.

“The structure they have today is the structure we want to destroy. It is the structure of criminality. It is the structure that produced 133 million people living in poverty,” he said.

“It is the structure that produced 20 million out-of-school children. It is the structure that has made Nigeria surpass India in infant mortality. It is the structure that will destroy Nigeria and we want to destroy that structure.”

The LP presidential candidate said his priority, if elected president, would be how to secure a united Nigeria and pull people out of poverty.