As the race towards the 2023 general elections hots up, fireworks are beginning to emerge over the moral grounds and suitability of some aspirants who have signified their intentions to vie for elective offices, IgbereTV reports
One of such emerging fireworks is from Oyo State, where the moral and legal qualifications of a senatorial aspirant have been called to question.
The aspirant, Kolapo Kola Daisi, who has obtained the expression of interest and nomination forms of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been labelled as a man of questionable character and excess baggage, that include pending and ongoing fraud related cases.
The allegations were made by a group within the state chapter of the party, Oyo Progressives Front, which noted that Daisi was prosecuted for alleged fraud of about N605 million in 2018 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alongside a former Managing Director of Heritage Bank, Ifiesimama Sekibo.
In one of the charges in the four count charge, the EFCC alleged that Sekibo conspired with Daisi “to transfer the sum of N300m proceeds of unlawful activity,” into the account of Hiltrans Global Investment Limited “when you reasonably ought to know that the said fund was fraudulently withdrawn from the account of Heritage Bank Company Limited in Access Bank Plc.”
The group further alleged that Daisi was equally charged by the EFCC for alleged conspiracy, stealing, obtaining money under false pretences, and forgery in 2018. The money in question was N1 Billion.
Daisi, was charged alongside Sekibo, the then MD of Heritage Bank, Dimire Dike, Wumi Adeniyi, Funmilayo Taiwo, and Akeem Durotoye before the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja as they were alleged to have conspired and obtained money under false pretenses and forgery.
The EFCC alleged that the defendants obtained the sum of N1bn from Heritage Bank Plc “by falsely representing the sum as proceeds of Vlamings Professional Limited’s investment in Heritage Bank Plc”, accusing Daisi, alongside other defendants of dishonestly converting Heritage Bank’s property, in the sum of N1 billion for personal gains.
The anti-graft agency said the defendants allegedly forged the document dated April 2, 2015, “purporting it to be a loan scheme executed in favour of Vlamings Professionals Limited” and that the defendants sent the document to it (EFCC), hoping it would be mistaken as genuine.
According to counsel for the EFCC, Ekene Iheanacho, the defendants allegedly committed the offence between February 2015 and February 2017 contrary to sections 285(8), 363(3)(h) and 364 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.
The Oyo Progressives Front wondered how Mr Daisi answered the ‘Question 4’ on the Senatorial nomination form which asks: “Have you ever been convicted by a Court of Law or Judicial Commission of Enquiry in Nigeria or Abroad for any offences?”
The senatorial aspirant, the group also claimed has an on-going criminal trial, at a Federal High Court with the next hearing date slated for May 2022, wondering what Mr Daisi would write in the Question 7 of the APC Senatorial Nomination Form asking “Do you have any pending Criminal Trial?
The group further threatened to expose the locations of properties hidden away from the public, by the aspirant and to release names of fronts and proxy companies, hidden bank accounts, transaction documents, official file extracts, amounts and dates of transactions.
The group said, “Our concern, as Nigerians, is that we must not put our most rotten foot forward. Aspirant Kolapo Kola Daisi worked in the banking sector, a sector built on trust and fidelity
