&w=64&q=75)
A former Director-General of the Labour Party’s presidential campaign, Doyin Okupe, announced that he has parted ways for good with the party's presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi.
Okupe also rejected the notion that he has betrayed Obi following his recent comments that seem to support President Bola Tinubu's policies.
The ex-presidential aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan has been in the spotlight recently after recovering from a life-threatening ailment that required him to go under the knife.
He was instrumental in the former Anambra Governor's decision to dump the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for LP in 2022 and also led his campaign before an indictment in a financial fraud case forced him to resign.
But, he has since announced his departure from the Labour Party, and this has put him at daggers drawn with Obi's supporters.
Okupe addresses the betrayal allegation.
In a video that circulated on social media on Friday, July 19, 2024, Okupe denied the insinuation that he betrayed the former presidential candidate, maintaining that he only withdrew his support for Obi because he was no longer interested in working with him.
Conversely, he accused Obi of betraying the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to contest the last general election.
He stressed that the former Governor's thirst for the presidency pushed him to go against Atiku, who brought him into national politics.
“They said I betrayed Obi. No. How can I betray him? I started politics in 1978. Obi was nowhere else. My life and political destiny cannot be tied to Obi’s ambition. I wish Obi well, but I am done with him. We wanted to achieve something, but we couldn’t achieve it.
“Obi was the vice-presidential candidate of Atiku Abubakar in 2019. He brought him to the national limelight. Because of his own ambition, which was correct and due, Obi left the party and contested against Atiku. If people said I betrayed Obi, what did Obi do to Atiku? It is not fair.
“It is Obi’s interest in 2023 that made him go on a collision course against his former master. Obi was not my master; I was his supporter. If I supported him up to a point and decided to go back and be myself, how can that be an offence?” Okupe said.
Okupe says he sacrificed his ambition for Obi
According to him, he dropped his presidential ambition to declare support for Obi after Afenifere leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, encouraged him to throw his weight behind presidential aspirants from the South-East region.
“Baba said if we are to rotate it to the south, which section of the south should it go? And I said Baba, in truth and fairness, let us be factual, Southwest has been president, Obasanjo. South-South has been president, Jonathan in recent times. Only South East has not had a shot at it and I found it to be an injustice, but there is nothing a single person can do.