A former member of the House of Representatives, Rotimi Makinde, has washed his hands off the fraud allegation he is engulfed in.
The former lawmaker, who represented Ife Federal Constituency of Osun State a few years ago, had through his influence as a member of the Governing Council of the Federal Polytechnic, Damaturu, Yobe State, secured a contract to construct a radio station for one of his former staff, Eniola Victor Mark, through his company, Omoluabi Empire Holdings Limited.
The project was awarded in April, 2023 to Mark and an unspecified sum of money running into several millions of naira was allegedly paid to him upfront. However, he allegedly disappeared with the money and abandoned the project.
Makinde, who had secured the contract for Mark, had to be contacted and asked to produce mark. He tried to reach him severally via phone calls but in vain. The former actor out of frustration called Mark out on Facebook and accused him of absconding to the United Kingdom with the contract money.
In response, Mark, through the Executive Director of Operations, Ojulowo Omoluabi Empire Holdings Limited, Josephine Amadi, accused Makinde of delaying the project. The former lawmaker was accused of allegedly receiving part of the contract money, about N30 million, which was paid to two different accounts that he claimed would be used to furnish the project in Yobe State. Makinde thereafter refused to deliver the goods but allegedly threatened Mark’s life and boasted that he had godfathers in the ruling party, so he has immunity and cannot be questioned or arrested.
Amadi claimed that the company had to source funds to continue the project while appealing to Makinde to return the money in his possession. She also claimed that the former lawmaker allegedly started to discredit Mark and called him out on Facebook and wrote defamatory things about him, adding that the company has proof of the transaction that took place between the company and Makinde.
Reacting to Amadi’s claims, Makinde said he was pushed to the wall after Mark failed to deliver as promised. He refused to pick his calls nor respond to text messages from the institution. He added that Mark had abandoned the project and relocated to the United Kingdom. Adding that all what Amadi said about him were lies.
Makinde challenged Mark to turn himself in for clarification or exoneration, if truly his hands are clean. He also stated that both Mark and Amadi lived under his roof for many months for economic reasons but they are now biting the finger that fed them. He cautioned both Amadi and Mark to stop misleading the public, noting that his legal team will act accordingly.
The former lawmaker also challenged Mark to sue him to a law court and ensure he makes himself available in the country to narrate his side of story and not to react by proxy. He also accused Mark of claiming to be the owner of Oodua FM, Abeokuta, a station he owns. The former actor also stated that Mark was using the station to allegedly swindle people of their hard earned money by luring them to buy land in Ife and Abeokuta. He vowed to bring Mark to book for his misdeeds.
