The Pot calling kettle black »

It's a no-brainer that most politicians are guilty of embezzling public funds. For this gospel truth, it will be a ridiculous act for a drunkard to inveigh against intemperance.

Before pointing accusing fingers at someone else, examine yourself and make sure you are not involved in such accusations. But if you are, for peace to reign, keep mum and don’t raise your fingers. It’s a principle in politics in which the thriving politicians are adherent of.

If I were Dr. Adedoyin Ajibike Okupe, threading with caution while searching for greener pastures in political pursuits would have been my discipline.

For a politician who has skeletons in his cupboard, Okupe is expected not to find indulgence in criticizing his fellows in the game. That’s a silly way to play politics and often times, its victims don’t come out safe. Especially if you are so unlucky that you find yourself, most times, in the party without power, just like Okupe in the Labor party presently.

Dr. Doyin Okupe started his political career in 1983, during the Second Nigerian Republic. He was the House of Representatives candidate of the National party of Nigeria {NPN}. He was also part of the candidates disqualified from participating in the primaries of United Nigeria Congress Party{UNCP} in 1998 after his detainment by General Sani Abacha in 1996.

Changing of parties is likened to that of clothes in Okupe’s political records. Most of his political strides were in People’s Democratic Party {PDP},where he served as a publicist in both Obasanjo and Jonathan led administration.

In 2004, Okupe and his companies were probed and accused by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission {EFCC} of failing to execute the road construction project awarded to his companies in 2004 by Benue State Government and in 2005 by Imo State Government. However, the cases were settled arbitrarily. Again, I say that, if I were Okupe, I would hide my face whenever issues like this arise from the opponents.

It will be unfair, historically, not to mention the role he played during the Jonathan campaign period for the 2015 general election. In July 2016, it was alleged that 702million Naira of the 2billion US dollars arms deal from the office of the National Security Adviser under the leadership of Col. Sambo Dasuki was traced to Okupe.

The money that was budgeted for the purchase of ammunition to fight insurgency that has a disturbing record of lost of lives of many Nigerians was, instead, diverted by Okupe for the purpose of rigging elections. This same Okupe that’s clamoring for the “Saint” ones to take over the country from the “thieves” . Hilarious!

The same Okupe and his principal, Mr. Peter Obi, painted themselves Saints including anyone in their canopy. They are, without shame, casting aspersions at the members of People’s Democratic Party. The party they were once members of. How convenient are they exhibiting such awkwardness? If the aspersions are being casted at the ruling party only, it would have placed them in a better position of repute and relevance, politically.

Politicians like Okupe and Obi should know that casting aspersions at other politicians in order to get the support of the electorates doesn’t sound diplomatic politically. It’s said that he who lives in a glass house should not throw stone. Because if you do, surely, there will be a retaliation.

Dr. Okupe, having left the party that made him who he is today alongside Peter Obi, for more greener pastures, deemed it fit to attack anyone that has different political ideology with them. Now even the position of Director General of Obi’s campaign council given to him has to be relinquished after the court verdict on him on the 19th of December, 2022.

Okupe was found guilty of 26 out of a 59-count charge levelled against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. The charge, money laundering, of which the diversion of funds for purchase of ammunition is among.

Who, in his honest submission, would think that Peter Obi will appoint such person into his campaign council talk of giving that kind of a person a position of Director General? Everyone would except those that are oblivious of the true identity of Peter Obi.

Mr. Peter Obi was also indicted by one Mr. Okonkwo, the then Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Bank. Mr. Okonkwo was arrested by the EFCC for allegedly being involved in 115million US dollars money laundering pioneered by the then Minister of Petroleum, Mrs. Diezani Allison Madueke and the inconspicuous Peter Obi. The money was budgeted for settling INEC officials in order to upturn their apparent lose in the 2015 general election.

The same Obi who was mentioned in the Pandora paper of the International Consortium of Investigative journalists{ICIJ} is parading around making claims of dealing decisively with the issues of corruption in Nigeria. Who are these people fooling?

Not only these two from the Labor party, even the National Chairman is not exempted from this. They are the ones apparent to us, those beneath are more. The party that claims “Saint” has ended up committing the much despised “Sin”

In all, I say to all the politicians; until a pot is bought new and hasn’t been put on fire, it should deviate from calling a kettle black.

Yusuf Danjuma Yunus is a public and political affairs analyst and also a student of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Kaduna State. He can be reached via: yunusand82@gmail.com or@YYunusand on Twitter