Doyin Okupe

Adedoyin Ajibike Okupe (born 22 March 1952), better known as Dr. Doyin Okupe, is a Nigerian physician and politician who co-founded Royal Cross Medical Centre[1][2] and was the National Publicity Secretary of National Republican Convention (NRC).[3][4] He was once detained under General Sani Abacha,[5][6] and subsequently disqualified from participating in United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) primaries;[7] later on, he was a governorship aspirant of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State.[8][9][10]

Dr.
Doyin Okupe
Personal details
Born
Adedoyin Ajibike Okupe

(1952-03-22) 22 March 1952
Iperu, Ogun State, Nigeria
Political partyLabour Party
(Past: PDP, NPN, NRC, UNCP, and Accord Party)
SpouseAduralere Okupe
ChildrenDitan Okupe
Bolu Okupe
Parent
  • Chief Matthew Adekoya Okupe (father)
RelativesBrothers: Kunle Okupe, Owo Okupe, Wemi Okupe and Larry Okupe
Sisters: Aina Okanlawon and Bisola Ayeni
Alma materIgbobi College, University of Ibadan
OccupationPhysician and Politician
Known forCo-founder of Royal Cross Medical Centre, National Publicity Secretary of NRC, Special Assistant to President Olusegun Obasanjo and Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan

Okupe was Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Olusegun Obasanjo and Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to President Goodluck Jonathan.[11][12][13][14]

Background

Born on 22 March 1952 in Iperu in Ogun State of Nigeria,[15][16][17] Okupe is the son of Chief Matthew Adekoya Okupe, who was a banker with Agbonmagbe Bank.[17] His brothers are Kunle Okupe, Owo Okupe, Wemi Okupe and Larry Okupe, and his sisters are Aina Okanlawon and Bisola Ayeni.[18][19] He attended St. Jude's School in Ebute Metta, Lagos, Igbobi College in Yaba, Lagos and the University of Ibadan in Ibadan, Oyo State.[15][16]

Career

Although Okupe is a medical doctor, he is also active in party politics.[1][2][17] He was also once a publisher of a health newspaper called Life Mirror.[15][16]

Medical career

Okupe worked for some years for government and private hospitals, including St. Nicholas Hospital, Lagos, before establishing the Royal Cross Medical Centre (also known as Royal Cross Hospital) in Obalende, Lagos, along with his colleagues, Dr. Seyi Roberts and Dr. Ladi Okuboyejo.[1][15][20] He was the Managing Director (MD) of Royal Cross Medical Centre.[16]

According to Olusegun Osoba in a July 2019 interview with The Nation (Nigeria), on the night of 23 August 1994, Okupe and Dr. Seyi Roberts saved the life of his gatekeeper from a gunshot wound to the head.[2]

Political career

During the Second Nigerian Republic, Okupe was a House of Representatives candidate of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in the 1983 Nigerian parliamentary election.[15]

In the Third Nigerian Republic, Okupe became the National Publicity Secretary of National Republican Convention (NRC).[3] He was one of the representatives of the NRC that observed the collation of the 1993 Nigerian presidential election results at the headquarters of the National Electoral Commission (NEC).[4]

The General Sani Abacha military government detained Okupe on 3 October 1996.[5][6] Later on, in March 1998, during the aborted transition programme of Abacha, he was among the politicians who were disqualified from participating in United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) primaries.[7]

At the advent of the current Fourth Nigerian Republic, Okupe was appointed Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Olusegun Obasanjo.[3][21] Later on, in 2002, he was one of the governorship aspirants of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) primaries in Ogun State, and was a major contender along with Gbenga Daniel.[9] In 2012, President Goodluck Jonathan appointed Okupe as his Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs.[8][10][11]

Okupe was publicist at various times to Nigerian presidential aspirants of the PDP, including President Olusegun Obasanjo, President Goodluck Jonathan, Bukola Saraki and Vice President Atiku Abubakar.[3][22] In July 2017, he announced his decision to leave the PDP to join the Accord Party,[23] but for accepting to be the Chairman of the Campaign Media Council of Bukola Saraki for the 2019 presidential primaries of the PDP, the Accord Party expelled him in September 2018.[24] He subsequently returned to the PDP,[25] and became a spokesman of the Presidential Campaign Organisation of Atiku Abubakar, the PDP candidate for president in the 2019 Nigerian presidential election.[22]

Okupe joined the Labour Party ahead of 2023 Nigerian general election and stood in as the running mate and vice presidential candidate of the Labour Party until a substantive candidate was picked. [26]

Personal life

Okupe is married to Aduralere Okupe with two children[27]

While Okupe supported the PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar in the 2019 Nigerian General Election, his son Ditan supported Muhammadu Buhari.[27]

In May 2020, it was reported that Okupe and his wife, Aduralere tested positive COVID-19 on 23rd April 2020 and have recovered.[19][28][29]

In January 2021, his other son, Bolu Okupe, based in Paris, came out as gay on his Instagram page.[30]

He and his son Bolu support Peter Obi for 2023 Nigerian presidential election.

Controversies and prosecutions

It was reported in August 2012 that Okupe and his companies were probed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and accused of failing to execute road construction contracts awarded to his companies in 2004 by Benue State and in 2005 by Imo State.[12] Eventually, a settlement was reached with Imo State, while the case with Benue State was resolved through arbitration.[31]

In July 2016, it was alleged that ₦702 million of the embezzled $2 billion in the $2 billion arms deal or Dasukigate at the office of the National Security Adviser under the leadership of Colonel Sambo Dasuki was traced to Okupe by the EFCC.[32][33] On 14 January 2019, the EFCC arraigned Okupe before a Federal High Court in Abuja on a 59-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering and diversion of funds to the tune of ₦702 million.[22][33]

References
  1. Edward A. Gargan (15 October 1985). "For Nigerian Doctors, the Healing is the Easy Part". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  2. "How I escaped assassination four times, by Osoba". The Nation (Nigeria). 2 July 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  3. Abisola Olasupo (11 September 2018). "Saraki appoints Doyin Okupe head of Campaign media council". The Guardian (Nigeria). Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  4. Humphrey Nwosu (1 August 2017). Laying the Foundation for Nigeria's Democracy: My Account of June 12, 1993 Presidential Election and Its Annulment. Page Publishing Inc. p. 276. ISBN 9781635682878. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  5. Nigeria Country Assessment — April 2000 (PDF) (Report). UK Home Office. p. 59. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  6. Nigeria Country Assessment — April 2002 (PDF) (Report). UK Home Office. p. 56. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  7. Olusegun Adeniyi (2005). "Chapter 3: The Ides of March — March 1, 1998" (PDF). The Last 100 Days of Abacha. Bookhouse Company. p. 69. ISBN 9789780674601. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  8. "Jonathan Appoints Okupe Aide". ThisDay Live. 27 July 2012. Archived from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  9. Chris Anucha (9 July 2002). "Okupe's Group Leads in Ogun PDP Primaries". This Day. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  10. "Okupe appointed Jonathan's adviser". Punch Newspaper. 27 July 2012. Archived from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  11. "Jonathan appoints Okupe SSA Public Affairs". Daily Independent. Archived from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  12. "PDP, ACN bicker over Okupe". Vanguard Newspaper. 21 August 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  13. "Breaking: I'm vice presidential candidate of Labour Party - Doyin Okupe". Vanguard News. 17 June 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  14. "2023: We're Putting Up The Biggest Political Coalition In Nigerian History – Okupe". Channels Television. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  15. "OKUPE, Dr. Adedoyin Ajibike". Biography Legacy and Research Foundation (BLERF). 20 February 2017. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  16. Gbenga Akinfenwa (17 March 2019). "Birthdays". The Guardian (Nigeria). Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  17. Femi Salako (22 March 2018). "Tribute to a doyen of patriotism". Daily Trust. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  18. Jimi Disu (24 October 2014). To Sam. Dorrance Publishing Company. p. 4. ISBN 9781434932266. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  19. Ebunoluwa Olafusi (12 May 2020). "Okupe: My wife and I have recovered from COVID-19". TheCable. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  20. "Chairman Opening Ceremony - Otunba Dr. Oluseyi Ayotunde Roberts - The Otunba Gbagengha of Ondo Kingdom". National Conference on Inclusivity, Equality and Diversity in University Education in Nigeria. University of Lagos. 2017. p. 11. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  21. Tony Orilade (31 January 2000). "Obasanjo Begins His Tour of Niger State". TheNews (Nigeria). Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  22. Chinedu Asadu (14 January 2019). "EFCC arraigns Okupe for 'N702m fraud'". TheCable. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  23. Fredrick Nwabufo (18 July 2017). "Okupe joins Accord party, says he is not desperate to be anything". TheCable. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  24. Chijioke Jannah (13 September 2018). "Accord party expels Doyin Okupe, gives reason". Daily Post (Nigeria). Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  25. Fikayo Olowolagba (11 November 2018). "2019 Presidency: Why I returned to PDP – Doyin Okupe". Daily Post (Nigeria). Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  26. "I Am 'Standing In' As Vice Presidential Candidate Of Labour Party – Doyin Okupe". Channels TV. 17 June 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  27. Lanre Babalola (9 November 2018). "Doyin Okupe's son joins Obasanjo's son to support Buhari". TheNews (Nigeria). Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  28. "Ex-presidential aide, Doyin Okupe, wife now negative after testing positive for coronavirus". Nigerian Tribune. 12 May 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  29. "Former Presidential Spokesperson, Doyin Okupe, Wife Discharged From COVID-19 Isolation Centre After Testing Negative". Sahara Reporters. 12 May 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  30. Milton, Josh (22 January 2021). "Son of homophobic Nigerian presidential aide defiantly comes out as 'gay as f**k'". Pink News. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  31. "Okupe Lawyers Admit He Did Fraudulent Contracts With Imo And Benue". Sahara Reporters. 21 August 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  32. Henry Umoru (18 July 2016). "What I did with Dasuki's money – Okupe". Vanguard Newspaper. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  33. Kunle Sanni (26 June 2019). "N702m Dasukigate: EFCC closes case against Okupe". Premium Times. Retrieved 26 May 2020.

Further reading

Biography of Doyin Okupe

Okupe,Doyin (2017). "2019 too short to change Nigeria—Doyin Okupe". Vanguard Nigeria Newspaper.

Salako, Femi (2018). "Tribute to a doyen of patriotism". Dailytrus Newspaper

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