Former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Doyin Okupe, has described the on-going campaign against corruption by President Muhammadu Buhari as selective and targeted at only opposition members.
Okupe, who was the Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to the former president accused President Buhari of ignoring the rule of law, reports PUNCH.
Condemning the detention of PDP’s spokesperson, Olisa Metu by the EFCC, Okupe insists that the PDP sourced and utilised its campaign funds the same way the All Progressives Congress did.
He said, “The Federal Government should not try to dabble into or control the finances of the PDP. The way and manner the ruling party is undertaking its selective probe by hounding opposition leaders is unbecoming and very disheartening.
“Party finances are not the business of the government. The former National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, cannot deny that he didn’t collect money for campaigns during the last elections.
“Why is the Federal Government not asking questions on the sources of the APC’s campaign funds? The way the PDP spent billions of naira to fund its campaigns in the media was the same way the APC did theirs? Where did the APC get its campaign funds from? The opposition must be given the liberty to thrive.”
Reacting to an allegation that a former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, benefited from the $2.1bn arms funds, Okupe said the former minister merely provided a service to the PDP during the electioneering and should not be questioned.
Okupe urged the President to be tolerant of criticism even as he condemned a statement credited to the National Chairman of the APC, John Odigie-Oyegun, in which the APC chair asked Nigerians not to abuse Buhari.
He advised Buhari to emulate Jonathan who he said was insulted by many leaders of the opposition but never retaliated.
