Isaac Balami, a former Labour Party (LP) national deputy campaign manager for the Obi/Datti 2023 presidential election, has lamented that the late Doyin Okupe served wholeheartedly as director-general of Peter Obi’s campaign but was deserted when he fell ill.
Mr Balami expressed disappointment over how the LP and Mr Obi’s supporters, known as Obidients, treated Mr Okupe, who died a few weeks ago. He spoke during a service held in honour of the deceased politician on Saturday.
“When his son was speaking, everything he said was correct except one thing that he did not say very well,” Mr Balami said. “He said when you offend Dr. Doyin Okupe and you genuinely ask for forgiveness, he will forgive you. Dr. Doyin Okupe was in pain—people that he gave his all for deserted him, betrayed him, lied against him—yet he forgave them.”
He added, “He was deserted by the people he worked with. At some point, I reached out on his behalf. They never called him or asked how he was feeling.”
Mr Balami recounted how the late Mr Okupe spent his personal money on the LP presidential campaign, yet was neglected when he fell ill.
“The only campaign I have ever been to, I was the campaign manager nationwide, and Dr. Okupe was the DG of the campaign. We had N100 million available for that day. Dr. Okupe put all the money on the table, and all the directors would sit, and he would distribute the money. After the campaign, he was left in debt. He never went anywhere, even though the campaign had billions. He paid for them himself,” Mr Balami said.
“After a six-hour flight, he crawled to the car after a major surgery. They saw him in pain, but 18 months later, they still never called him. The same people can’t even say a word to acknowledge that he was a good man. The few Obidients insulting this man on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are very ignorant,” he added.
Messrs Okupe and Balami left the LP after the presidential election, in which Mr Obi placed third, according to official results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Yunusa Tanko, national coordinator of the Obidient Movement worldwide, said Mr Balami did not mention anyone’s name in his statement, and it would be unfair to respond to his claims.
