In an interview with Arise News from 6:46, Akin Osuntokun, the former Director-General of the now-dissolved Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council, responded to allegations of financial misconduct leveled against him and other prominent figures. The accusations, made by Abayomi Arabambi, the National Publicity Secretary, include claims of misappropriating ₦600 million from campaign funds.
Osuntokun expressed his reluctance to address the matter publicly, but said he felt compelled to do so in defense of Chief Ayo Adebanjo, a respected elder statesman and leader of the Afenifere group. He emphasized the injustice of dragging the name of a man who has served Nigeria for 90 years into such allegations.
“Initially, I didn’t want to get into it, but for the sake of Chief Ayo Adebanjo, who is a bit indisposed now, I had to. Dragging that kind of person, a revered man, through the mud is unjust,” Osuntokun said. He then addressed the specific accusation of ₦600 million being misappropriated by himself and Adebanjo.
Arabambi had alleged that the funds were diverted as part of a broader scheme involving prominent individuals like Aisha Yesufu and Pastor Itua Ighodalo, both of whom were signatories to the campaign account.
However, Osuntokun argued that the numbers simply do not add up. Citing an earlier disclosure by Yesufu, he pointed out that the total amount spent on the campaign was approximately ₦1.3 billion. “Days before Arabambi spoke, Aisha Yesufu gave an account of the total money in the campaign’s kitty—about ₦1.3 billion. Does it make sense that from that ₦1.3 billion, somebody will take ₦600 million and give it to myself and Adebanjo? Does that make sense?” he questioned.
Osuntokun firmly dismissed the allegations as baseless and suggested that the intent behind such claims was to tarnish the reputations of those involved. “Anytime you see him, it’s to smear somebody,” he added, in reference to Arabambi’s accusations.
The allegations of financial impropriety have stirred considerable controversy, but Osuntokun’s interview adds a layer of defense, particularly for Chief Adebanjo, whose contributions to Nigeria’s political landscape have spanned decades.