Chief Oliver Okpala, Senior Special Assistant on Public Enlightenment to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has described recent corruption allegations against Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje as politically motivated, made by “faceless” and unregistered anti-corruption groups.
The claims, he asserted, are attempts to intimidate and malign the party chairman, and should be rejected.
In a statement issued in November 2024, Okpala condemned a petition signed by Dr. Johnson Nebechi and Comrade Umar Ideresu of the National Anti-Corruption Alliance (NACA), which sought an EFCC investigation into Ganduje. He said the petition raised “spurious issues” that are already subject to ongoing court proceedings. According to him, “The issues raised in their petition are matters that are key points in various cases filed by the Kano State government against Dr. Ganduje, which are still before the courts.”
He emphasised that discussing these matters publicly was inappropriate while the judiciary is handling them. “It is basic legal knowledge that issues pending in court should not be taken to law enforcement or anti-corruption agencies, as they remain sub judice,” he said. Okpala also noted that some of the allegations raised by NACA had already been resolved in Ganduje’s favour by the Federal High Court.
He labelled the petitioners as members of an unregistered and thus unlawful organisation, characterising their actions as politically motivated and devoid of substantive evidence. He urged that government agencies should engage only with legally recognised organisations, dismissing the petitioners as “political hirelings” intent on tarnishing Ganduje’s reputation. “Nigeria is not a lawless society; the judiciary must be allowed to carry out its job without inhibition or intimidation,” he added.
