Ex-Presidential Spokesperson Doyin Okupe Reportedly Dead
Ex-presidential spokesperson Adedoyin Ajibike Okupe, better known as Dr. Doyin Okupe, has reportedly died after a long battle with cancer, according to some sources.
While a close colleague of Dr. Okupe told Neusroom that his death would be “confirmed by his family,” the news has been circulating on social media. However, at the time of reporting, Neusroom cannot authoritatively confirm his death from the family.
Born on March 22, 1952, in Iperu, Ogun State, Nigeria, Dr. Okupe co-founded the Royal Cross Medical Centre and served as Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Olusegun Obasanjo and Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to President Goodluck Jonathan. His political career dates back to Nigeria’s Second Republic, where he contested as a House of Representatives candidate under the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in the 1983 parliamentary election. On October 3, 1996, Okupe was detained by the military government of Sani Abacha and was later disqualified from participating in the United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) primaries.
In the lead-up to the 2023 election, Okupe was one of the prominent voices of the “Obidient” movement in support of Peter Obi of the Labour Party. However, after being found guilty of contravening Sections 16 (1) & (2) of the Money Laundering Act on Monday, December 19, 2022, Okupe, who was then Peter Obi’s campaign director-general, stepped down from the position.
He would later switch allegiance, throwing his weight behind President Bola Tinubu, who won the 2023 presidential election. In November last year, Okupe vowed never to support Peter Obi again.
