OPC Members Drag Gani Adams to Court Over $22m Fraud

Some members of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) have dragged the factional na­tional coordinator of the organisation, Otunba Gani Adams, to the Economic and Financial Crimes Com­mission (EFCC) for allegedly diverting $22m.

The aggrieved members made these claims of financial fraud in a three-page petition, dated March 4 and signed by 26 members of the National Coordinating Council of the group.

The petition was report­edly received at the Lagos office of the anti-graft agen­cy on March 11.

They alleged that one of the purported offences of Adams was diversion of $22 million, which he al­legedly received on behalf of the group from the late Libyan leader, Muamar Ghadaffi.

The aggrieved OPC members, who signed the petition were Messrs Ra­sak Arogundade, Monsuru Akande, Adesina Akinpelu, Kehinde Ogunyale, Ade­ola Adeagbo, Ranti Akande, Gbenga Egunlusi, Lateef Oshodi, ‘Layiwola Ogun­solu, Olusoji Folorunso, Sunday Bankole, ‘Segun Olusanya and Sunday Ade­bayo and Idowu Akintunde.

The list also comprised Oyename Adebayo, Lateef Kaka, Oladipupu Musa, Musiliu Amusa, Lateef Ogungbayi, Morufu Salami, Rotimi Akinsowon, Taofik Hameed, Dauda Oyelowo, Yinka Olowoporoku, Adio Odewole and Alexander Adesina.

The petition reads in part: “Besides funds stolen or misappropriated by Adams, there is also the case of about six million members (using Adams estimate of OPC membership strength during his pro-Jonathan campaigns) who are obli­gated to obtain the group’s identification cards at N2,500 each.

“From identity cards alone, Gani Adams pockets about N15 billion every year.

“Adams equally diverted N150 million specially set aside by the NCC and meant for building a hotel for the OPC in each South- West state capital. This is besides the N100 million or more, also made by en­couraging unwary members to buy shares in the hotel project. The hotel scheme was conceived in 2007 but has failed to see the light of the day.

“This situation is no lon­ger acceptable to us and the generality of the OPC cadre who have been at the receiving end of Adams misdemeanour. Ours has been for too long, like the proverbial masquerade that farted, it can only bear the nauseating stink until it is dissipated with time.”

Reacting through his Per­sonal Assistant, Prince Ola­lekan Segun Akanni, the OPC boss stated that if the petitioners had their facts, they would meet at the EFCC.

“Those behind the peti­tion are expelled members of the group who are seek­ing relevance by saying the same things for a long time without anything to show for it.

“One of the vocals among them has been try­ing to get the attention of the leader and has even de­manded a certain amount of money for him to ditch his co-rebels,” he said.