*Demands Public Apology From Publishers Of Report
THE Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has denied media reports that he forced the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bayo Ojulari, to step down from his role, recently.
An online publication ha alleged on August 2, Olukoyede and Director General of the Department of State Service (DSS), Adeola Ajayi, corced Ojulari into signing a resignation letter during a closed-door meeting with him in Abuja over his links to British-Nigerian oil mogul, Olatimbo Ayinde, reported to be close to key figures in the presidency.
In a follow-up, the outlet further claimed that Ojulari was later invited to the Presidential Villa, where First Lady, Senator Remi Tinubu, opposed his resignation.
However, while reacting to the allegations, EFCC spokesman, Dele Oyewale, in a statement on Wednesday, August 6, on behalf of the Commission, disclosed that Olukoyede, through his lawyer, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN), described the publications as defamatory and injurious to his integrity.
Oyewale said “the publications and the imputations conveyed by them are so damning and cannot be ignored or treated with levity,” adding that Olukoyede has denied any suggestion he was acting at the behest of Ayinde or that his actions were influenced by external political figures.
He stated that a letter addressed to the editor of the publication and signed by Olumide-Fusika reiterated the gravity of the claims, insisting on corrective measures, and “therefore demanded that the medium acknowledge your wrongdoing, expressly admit that what you published and imputed against my client are false, apologise for it unreservedly and retract and pull down the stories from your newspaper website and social media handles.”
Olukoyede said the story portrayed him as “someone that has betrayed and subverted public trust by submitting the authority of his public office and trust as chairman of the EFCC to the dictates and directives of one Olatimbo Ayinde.”
Describing the report as entirely fabricated, Olukoyede demanded an official apology and complete removal of the story from the outlet’s digital platforms within 48 hours.
