LP appoints new DG for its Presidential Campaign; Akin Osuntokun 

The Labour Party(LP) has appointed a former Political Adviser to President Olusegun Obasanjo, Mr. Akin Osuntokun as the new Director General(DG) of its Presidential Campaign.

The new development was announced by the party’s National Chairman, Julious Abure, in Abuja, on Tuesday, December 27th who said that  the decision was reached after wide consultations with party stakeholders across board.

Mr. Okupe was recently removed from the position as the DG of the campaign organisation of the party, following a judgement of a Federal High Court that convicted him of violating the Money Laundering Act.

Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu who presided over the case found Okupe guilty of contravening sections 16(1)& ;(2) of the Money Laundering Act and accepting cash in excess of the threshold allowed under the Act without going through a financial institution.

Okupe was found guilty of receiving over N200 million cash from a former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.).

He was hence sentenced to two years by Justice Ojuwku with an option of N500,000 fine on each of the 26 counts for which he was found guilty.

Delivering her judgement, the judge held that Okupe, who is the first defendant in the suit filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC), violated the Money Laundering Act, and had up to 4:30 pm on Monday to pay the fine option, totalling the sum of N13 million on all the charges he was found guilty of or he would be sent to the Kuje Correctional Centre.

Justice Ojukwu, in sentencing Okupe, considered the pleadings for leniency from the wife of the convict, Omolola Okupe, and that of his son, Adesunkanmi Okupe, and the allocutus by his counsel.