MY POLITICAL COMMITMENT TO OBI ENDED AFTER TINUBU’S VICTORY — EX-LP CAMPAIGN DG, DOYIN OKUPE
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Dr. Doyin Okupe, a former director general of the Labour Party’s Presidential Campaign Organization, has said that his relationship with Peter Obi, the party’s candidate for the general election of 2023, ended as soon as President Bola Tinubu was elected.
In addition, Okupe stated that he had a deal with Obi that said he would never take any political appointments from him after he emerged.
The former presidential spokesperson made these statements to the media on Monday in Lagos in an effort to deflect criticism from Obi followers, often referred to as Obidients, who were criticizing him on X for endorsing the current administration’s policies.
According to him, those abusing and insulting him for supporting Tinubu’s economic recovery plan are ignorant, stressing that Nigeria’s project is bigger than that of any individual or political party.
He said, “I supported Peter Obi out of a commitment to patriotism and nationalistic fervor, not because I don’t know who I am in national politics or where I come from. I told Peter Obi, and we both agreed, that I would not hold any position in his government if he won. Obi is alive, kindly verify. If it is not true, let Obi publicly say that I am lying.
“Obi and I left the PDP because we both agreed and believed that the next president must be a Southerner, preferably an Igbo man from the South-East. Unfortunately, we lost that election. Another Southerner, Bola Tinubu, won the election. This is God’s will. He gives power to whom He wishes. My political commitment and agreement with Obi ended and expired there. I am too experienced in this game of politics for my subsequent political disposition and destiny to be tied to Obi’s ambition. Impossible.
“For me, that cooperation ended with the Supreme Court judgment, right or wrong. There must be order in a society.
To me, the allegations of rigging do not hold water. All elections in Nigeria from the 1st Republic to date have been rigged in one way or another, except perhaps Abiola’s election. In America today, the majority of Republicans believe the election that brought Biden in as POTUS was rigged. However, the Americans did not bring down their country because of that. They patiently waited for the next election and are making efforts to correct the imperfections.”
While giving insights into his reasons for supporting Obi from the beginning, the LP’s former campaign DG maintained that he was convinced that the presidency was going to the South and that he aligned with the Igbo candidacy since they had not had the opportunity before in the country’s history.
“I was convinced in my heart that if the presidency was going to the South, then it must be an Igbo man from the South-East because I believe in equity and justice. You can also verify this with Papa Adebanjo. He is still alive. I did not support Obi because he was politically superior to me or because he was a friend or an associate.
“My unalloyed support and commitment to Obi were based on principle. Throughout my period as a DG campaign, I used my own car and never received one naira from Obi as a salary. It was a mutual friend who funded me personally throughout. This can be verified. In difficult times, I borrowed a substantial amount of money to ensure our zonal campaign in the Southwest was a grand success. I was refunded by Peter Obi months later.
“You (Obidients) all hailed, praised, and honoured me because, in your understanding, you believed I was just a foolish politician who left his comfort zone to come and help you fulfil your own agenda. You were all wrong,” he added.
Speaking further, Okupe clarified that he was not narrow-minded when he was a critic and that Obidients should adopt a similar approach in the future.
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