The former Presidential spokesperson to former Presidents, Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, Dr Doyin Okupe, is dead.
Okupe, from Iperu-Remo, Ikenne Local Government area of Ogun State, who was said to have been sick for some time, died in the early hours of Friday in Lagos at the age of 72.
The Chairman of Ikenne Local Government, Jamiu Ashimi, confirmed the demise of the medical doctor turned politician to our Correspondent on Friday.
Ashimi said, “I just confirmed the tragic news of the passing of Dr Doyin Okupe. May his soul rest in peace”.
A friend to the late politician, Chief Michael Adesanya, the Asojuoba of Isara Remo, also in a phone conversation with our correspondent, said, “Dr Okupe has been confirmed to have died early Friday morning in Lagos”.
Okupe was Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Olusegun Obasanjo and Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to President Goodluck Jonathan.
He was also a former Director-General of Peter Obi’s 2023 Presidential Campaign.
However, his political journey was marked by controversies.
In December 2022, Okupe stepped down from Obi’s campaign after being convicted of breaching some parts of the money laundering acts
Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu presiding over the case found Okupe guilty of contravening sections 16(1)&(2) of the Money Laundering Act and accepting cash in excess of the threshold allowed under the Act without going through a financial institution.
He later resigned from the Labour Party following the 2023 general election fallout and became a vocal supporter of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, frequently engaging in political debates and commentary.
Okupe was known for his bold political stance and unfiltered opinions. His ability to navigate Nigeria’s complex political landscape made him a respected political figure
He was a physician who co-founded Royal Cross Medical Centre and was the National Publicity Secretary of the National Republican Convention.
The late politician was a former governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State.
