Doyin Okupe, former director-general of the Labour Party (LP) presidential campaign, has said that his political relationship with Peter Obi, the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, came to an end following the Supreme Court’s ruling on the presidential election.
News About Nigeria reports that Okupe disclosed that he had a prior agreement with Obi, promising not to accept any political appointment from him if he emerged as the winner.
He said that their agreement was clear–he would not hold any position in Obi’s administration if he won the presidential election.
“I supported Peter Obi out of a commitment to patriotism and nationalistic fervour, not because I don’t know who I am in national politics or where I come from,” the former presidential spokesperson wrote.
“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.”
