Tinubu best among all presidential candidates in 2023, says Doyin Okupe

A former presidential aide, Dr. Doyin Okupe, has described President Bola Tinubu as ‘the best’ among all the candidates who contested the 2023 presidential election.

Recall that Tinubu emerged winner of that election, with Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party coming second and third, respectively.

Dr. Okupe, who was Peter Obi’s Campaign Director in the early stages of the campaigns, said hindsight had provided him the opportunity to realise that Tinubu was the best for the job.

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“Let me tell you, of all the people that actually ran for President in 2023, by the benefit of hindsight, Bola Tinubu is the best,” Okupe said on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday.

“I have seen Peter Obi, I have been with Atiku Abubakar, I also knew Bola Tinubu many years ago. I have not seen him in the last 7 to 8 years, that is not the point but he is the best in terms of capability, commitment and knowledge.”

Dr. Okupe said Nigerians could not judge the Tinubu administration like they judged other administrations because he came in after it seemed like governance was abandoned for eight years.

Insisting that one year was too short to judge the current administration, Dr. Okupe said that if Nigerians would give Tinubu some time, he would do well.

Asked if it was not a betrayal to Mr. Obi whom he campaigned for saying that Tinubu was the best candidate in 2023, Dr. Okupe disagreed.

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According to him, his support for Mr. Obi was borne out of the mutual belief they both had that a Southerner should be the president which led to their exit from the PDP.

Dr. Okupe toured around the country with Mr. Obi soliciting votes ahead of the PDP primary. However, when it did not work out in the PDP, both men left for the Labour Party where Dr. Okupe became the Director-General for Mr. Obi’s campaign.

Okupe would later resign from his position following a judgement by the Federal High Court in Abuja which found him guilty of receiving over N200 million cash from former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki.

He had in his resignation letter at the time, said it is better not to allow his personal interest to distract the campaign of Obi and that of the party, hence his decision to step aside.

In January, he also resigned from the Labour Party citing ideological differences.