A faction within the human rights group, the Campaign for Democracy, led by its former Chairman, Comrade Ifeanyi Odili, has faulted the leadership of the group for their lack of transparency.
Odili and the Acting National Secretary of the group, Comrade Adewusi Adepoju,
have joined forces to fight other executives over what they described as financial recklessness.
According to them, the leadership of the CD has not been able to account for millions of naira said to have been expended by the organisation since 2007.
“The truth is that the group is the only organisation in Nigeria that accounts for expenditure and never discloses its income. We heard that N19 million was spent recently on some projects but nobody knows the sources of these funds,” Odili said.
He disclosed that the acclaimed stewardship services rendered by the executives to the members were fraudulent.
“Despite all the millions of naira they claimed to have spent, the CD has no office anywhere in the country. The finances of the group are controlled by an individual. How can they tell us they spent N19 million to do remembrance of Beko Ramsome Kuti and Kudirat Abiola every year? If they actually loved Beko as they claimed, why did the CD not issue any statement when his son, a Brigadier, was sentenced to death? For many years now, the CD has been keeping quiet over burning national issues, yet the body generates money. So where has all this money gone to?” Odili queried. The activist also accused a former President of the CD and leader of the group, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, of turning the group to “a private estate, thus relegating all the people she believed to be strong voices, to the background.”
“That is why today, a once vibrant CD can no longer find its voice amidst the various
forms of injustice that had taken place in this country. Definitely, we need to re organise the CD; otherwise, some of us will break away from the Okei-Odumakin-commandeered CD,” he threatened.
In her reaction to the allegations, however, Okei- Odumakin said, “On the allegation
by one Ifeanyi Odili, let me tell you that there has never been and there is still no faction in CD. Those allegations are merely the ranting of some bad losers at the just concluded Convention of the CD who are only desperate to malign people’s integrity
for losing out in their inordinate ambitions to occupy positions in the organisation.
“The said Ifeanyi Odili and his gang were part of the delegates who gave commendation to my leadership of the organisation at the Convention, only to turn around and engage in petty blackmail after contesting election as the President, losing and again as the Deputy President at the same convention. You can understand where they are coming from.”
She, however, said the CD had a new set of executives, led by Comrade Bako Usman, who could speak further on the issues.
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