The chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has denied he ever forced Bayo Ojulari, the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), to resign.
Olukoyede reaction comes as reports claimed that he and Adeola Ajayi, the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), pressured Ojulari into signing a resignation letter during a closed-door meeting in Abuja.
Reports also alleged that Ojulari was interrogated over his purported links to British-Nigerian oil mogul, Olatimbo Ayinde, who is reportedly close to key figures in the present administration.
EFCC spokesman Dele Oyewale, in a statement on Wednesday, said Olukoyede, through his lawyer Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN), described the reports as defamatory and injurious to his integrity.
“The publications and the imputations conveyed by them are so damning and cannot be ignored or treated with levity,” the statement read.
The statement stressed that Olukoyede has not betrayed public trust “by submitting the authority of his public office and trust as Chairman of the EFCC to the dictates and directives of one Olatimbo Ayinde.”
The EFCC chairman has now demanded an official apology and complete removal of the story from the media outlet’s digital platforms within 48 hours, threatening a lawsuit.
