Okupe: I have never defended...

The erstwhile Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr. Doyin Okupe, has denied online reports, which claim that he criticised a request by the United Kingdom for the extradition of a former governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha.

In his reaction to the reports, via Twitter and Facebook, Okupe said he had not spoken to any journalist since May 29, 2015, much less comment on the matter.

The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Andrew Pocock, had reportedly said that Alamieyeseigha, who was pardoned by Jonathan, had an outstanding ca Okupe se of money laundering to answer in the UK.

Pocock also said the British Government would not give up on the matter until the former governor was brought to justice.

The report was the subject of a controversy that raged on various digital platforms and offline in the last few days.

 Amid the controversy, Instalblog9ja, a gossip blog, on Monday, claimed that Okupe said Nigeria could not possibly extradite Alamieyeseigha since he had earlier been pardoned by the Federal Government.

The former aide was also reported as saying that the UK had no business prosecuting Alamieyeseigha for an offence committed against Nigerians.

 But, in a post duplicated on both Twitter and Facebook, Okupe denied speaking on the matter. He said he had neither spoken to any journalist since he quit office nor reacted to the issue. 

“I have not spoken to any journalist since May 29, 2015 on any subject matter. And no such comment is on my Facebook wall or Twitter handle. This is a pure fabrication,” Okupe posted.

Okupe’s denial may have only succeeded in drawing the attention of his critics to the role he played during the tenure of the Jonathan administration. Some of his critics, who took him up on the Alamieyeseigha issue, recalled that he was the most visible defender of the disputed state pardon.

Okupe had noted in 2013 that it was disrespectful of Nigerians to question the decision of the President to forgive the ex-governor who was, until then, an ex-convict.

He said, “On the issue of morality, I want to state categorically here that state or presidential pardon are not intended for saints. In general, a state pardon is for those who have committed crimes and breached the laws of the land and may or may not have been tried or convicted, regardless of their social status.

“Pardons are granted in many countries when individuals have demonstrated that they have fulfilled their debts to society or they are considered to be deserving,” he said at a press conference held to defend the decision.

 Critics of Okupe also recalled some occasions when he defended the state pardon, saying the position he took two years ago was still relevant unless retracted publicly. 

 Responding to the issue, Paschal Osuagwu wrote, “We already know that you guys condone evil and try to play it down. It does not matter whether you defended the former governor or not, everybody who has looted the treasury will pay back one day.”

Meanwhile, online reviews of President Muhammadu Buhari’s list of ministerial nominees broke the Internet on Tuesday. Some online activists said the President could have searched for more credible individuals, especially as the entire country had waited patiently for him to do so for four months.

As the names of prominent Nigerians mentioned on the list trended virtually on every platform, many people urged the Senate to screen the individuals thoroughly.

According to the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, the screening will commence on October 13.