Former presidential aide Doyin Okupe has praised President Bola Tinubu as the best candidate among those who contested the 2023 presidential election.
Tinubu secured victory in the election, with Atiku Abubakar from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) finishing second and Peter Obi from the Labour Party coming in third.
Okupe, who initially served as Peter Obi’s campaign director, now reflects on the election with a different perspective. In an interview on Channels Television’s “Politics Today,” Okupe expressed that Tinubu, in retrospect, stands out as the most capable, committed, and knowledgeable candidate.
He emphasized that although he had close interactions with Obi and knew Atiku Abubakar, his familiarity with Tinubu spans many years, and he believes Tinubu is best suited for the presidency.
Okupe argued that Nigerians should not judge Tinubu’s administration by the same standards used for previous administrations, noting that Tinubu assumed office after a period where governance seemed neglected for eight years.
He asserted that one year is too short to evaluate the current administration’s performance and urged Nigerians to give Tinubu more time to prove his capabilities.
When asked if his endorsement of Tinubu over Obi, whom he had campaigned for, constituted a betrayal, Okupe disagreed. He explained that his support for Obi was based on a shared belief that the presidency should be held by a Southerner, prompting their departure from the PDP.
Okupe had actively campaigned with Obi across the country, initially seeking support for the PDP primary. When their efforts did not succeed within the PDP, they joined the Labour Party, where Okupe became Obi’s campaign director-general.
Okupe eventually resigned from his campaign role after being convicted by the Federal High Court in Abuja for receiving over N200 million in cash from former National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki.
In his resignation letter, Okupe stated that he stepped down to avoid his personal issues distracting from Obi’s campaign and the party’s goals. He later resigned from the Labour Party in January, citing ideological differences.
