Doyin Okupe Refutes Betrayal Claims, States Peter Obi Was Unknown in 1978

Doyin Okupe, a former director-general of the Labour Party presidential campaign, has made claims about Peter Obi’s political history in a recent viral video. Okupe stated that when he entered politics in 1978, Obi was not yet a known figure.

Okupe also shared his perspective on Obi’s presidential aspirations and his own decision to withdraw support for Obi’s candidacy, citing a loss of interest in working with him. Additionally, Okupe addressed reports of his alleged betrayal of Obi, providing his own account of the circumstances surrounding his departure from the Obi/Datti presidential campaign organization.

“They said I betrayed Obi. No. How can I betray him? I started politics in 1978. Obi was nowhere. My life and political destiny cannot be tied to Obi’s ambition,” Okupe, who was former Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to former President Goodluck Jonathan, said in a video that has since gone viral. He added, “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 offense?”