The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Okupe

  • I don’t belong to APC , but appreciate Tinubu’s bold reforms – Okupe

    I don’t belong to APC , but appreciate Tinubu’s bold reforms – Okupe

    A former Director-General of the Labour Party (LP) Presidential Campaign Council, Dr Doyin Okupe, says he is not a member of the ruling APC but appreciates  the bold reforms being implemented  by President Bola Tinubu.

    Okupe, a former Presidential Spokesperson, disclosed this in X handle (formerly Twitter) while reacting to criticisms over his appreciation of Tinubu’s initiatives .

    The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN)reports  that Okupe has been criticised for always  supporting, advising and praising every government in power since 1999,.

    Okupe  had served as aide to former President Olusegun Obasanjo and then  Goodluck Jonathan as  a PDP member.

    He later joined Labour Party to support the presidential  bid of Peter Obi for the 2023 elections.

    Okupe said: “I am neither a member of the APC nor an adviser of the administration.

    “I appreciate the bold initiatives President Bola Tinubu took to remove fuel subsidy, which was assented to by all candidates during the campaign.

    “I also fully support the sectoral equalisation of our forex market.

    “Both reforms are responsible for the hardship our people are currently experiencing, but which I believe will be temporary judging by the strenuous efforts the government is making towards ameliorating them.

    “This is not praise singing. I do not count myself as a member of the opposition, hence I am able to be objective and understandingly supportive.

    “I may not have had a hand in installing this govt ,but it is my country and I am a stakeholder in it. I do not pray for it to crash or go down. This cannot be an offence.”

    He urged his critics, especially a PDP chieftain, Mr Dele Momodu, to stop being  personal in their criticisms.

    “We all are practitioners, players and known actors in this amphitheater, no need to go personal. Let’s keep criticisms rational, mature and professional,” he added.

    Okupe said that it was not true that he had been sing praising every government since 1999.

    Read Also: Momodu, Okupe in war of words over Tinubu administration

    He said that he only acted as adviser in the Obasanjo’s administration, which he described as one of the most successful since the advent of the fourth republic.

    Okupe said that he did not play any significant role in the succeeding administration of late President Umaru Yar Adua.

    The former presidential spokesman said that he ,however, became an adviser for the second time in the Jonathan administration ,which was defeated by the former President Muhammadu Buhari -led APC.

    According to Okupe, his association with former Senate President Bukola Saraki and Peter Obi is in no way different from Momodu’s current association with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

    (NAN)

  • Momodu, Okupe in war of words over support for Tinubu’s administration

    Momodu, Okupe in war of words over support for Tinubu’s administration

    A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dele Momodu and former director-general of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Organisation, Doyin Okupe, have exchanged words on the popular micro-blogging platform “X”.

    Momodu argued that he has consistently been in opposition in the last 42 years, but regretted supporting ex-president Buhari in 2015.

    Reacting to his statement, Okupe urged Momodu to keep his criticisms rational, mature and professional.

    In his tweet, @DeleMomodu said: “My dear Egbon, Dr Doyin Okupe, I’m more amazed at your flip-flops Sir. You’re Reno’s senior in engaging in sophistry since your days as Obasanjo’s Spokesman in 1999, till you fell out. You’ve defended almost all governments since then with your eloquence. What has Nigeria gained! (I’ve been consistently in opposition in the last 42 years. Even the Buhari that I supported, regrettably, in 2015, I dumped within two months when I saw a total lack of direction, and I’ve apologised profusely and endlessly. I will never defend useless government policies. There’s nothing more we want Nigeria to give us at this age and stage than good Leadership…)

    “You and I met at the London Hilton Metropole in the dying days of the Jonathan government and you boasted that no Jupiter can defeat Jonathan in an election. We had a bet of 20k USD and you lost. You begged me for debt forgiveness just two years ago at the Transcorp Hilton Abuja…

    “I’m sure you must have persuaded the gentleman that since the economists rated Nigeria very high, he can never be defeated. But you forgot that a government must never rely solely on theoretical economic indices. It must be balanced with a real and practical economy. (About two months ago, President William Ruto of Kenya was given Royal welcome to the White House in Washington DC. Today, he is being treated like a pariah in his own country. Heaps of praise from the Western world cannot guarantee a safe economy…)

    Read Also: TIMELINE: Nigeria’s national minimum wage increment since 1981

    “You later worked on the Presidential bid of Senate President Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki before ending up with Governor Peter Obi. I won’t bother about the outcomes. Like Reno, I acknowledge your brilliance, but only both of you know why TINUBU is your sudden IDOL…

    “The people of Nigeria have never had things so bad and you’re both defending a profligate government with untenable economic hocus pocus… I will personally carry TINUBU on my head if he’s able to cut the reckless spending of his government, make palpable sacrifices, ignite an agricultural revolution, empower our brilliant and energetic youths with vocational grants instead of distributing cash to phantom politicians, etc… But with advisers like you, no government can succeed…

    Responding via X, @doyinokupe said: “My dear Dele, it was nice to see you again at chief Osoba’s 80th birthday, just as it is to read your comments about my rejoinder to Reno’s response to your condemnation of this administration.

    “Frankly speaking and putting sentiments apart, Reno’s response to your article was a masterpiece in terms of facts assembled therein.

    “I am always in awe of that young man’s ability to research and succinctly put together his narratives. You may hate Reno, or be angry with him for his opinions but his facts are unassailable.

    “With me also I am surprised u also did not stay with the facts. U retorted that I have advised and praised every govt since 1999. That is not true. I only acted as an adviser in the Obj’s administration, which remains one of the most successful since the advent of the 4th Republic.

    “I did not play any significant role in the Yaradua’s administration that succeeded Obj’s. I became an adviser for the second time in the Jonathan administration which was defeated by the Gen Buhari led APC. Jonathan’s defeat was not because of any societal hardship or economic issues. Jonathan’s administration led Nigeria to an economically prosperous Nation, taking our GDP to $500B, and an unprecedented number 1 position in Africa.

    “Why Jonathan was “defeated” is another matter entirely which may not be known to u because of your remoteness to the inner core of political power play at that time. This will be a topic for another day. My associations with Bukola Saraki and Peter Obi is in no way different from your current association with HE Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. All three were presidential aspirants or candidates of different parties at different times. Making any issues out of this is nothing but crass mischief.

    “I am neither a member of the APC nor an adviser of the administration.  I appreciate the bold initiatives President Bola Tinubu took to remove fuel subsidy, which was assented to by ALL candidates during the campaign. I also fully support the sectoral equalization of our forex market. Both reforms are responsible for the hardship our people are currently experiencing, but which I believe will be temporary judging by the strenuous efforts the govt is making towards ameliorating them. This not praise singing. I do not count myself as a member of the opposition, hence I am able to be objective and understandingly supportive. I may not have had a hand in installing this govt but it is my country and I am a stakeholder in it. I do not pray for it to crash or go down. This cannot be an offense.

    “We all are practitioners, players and known actors in this Amphitheater, no need to go personal. Let’s keep criticisms rational, mature and professional. Finally Dele let me publicly acknowledge and appreciate your generosity in granting me that much appreciated debt forgiveness of $20k. I could not afford it! But truly then, I never imagined we could lose that election. However, man proposes but God Almighty ONLY disposes. My dear Aburo, who I love and adore so much, I wish you well. God bless.”

  • How to end Rivers political crisis, by Okupe

    How to end Rivers political crisis, by Okupe

    A former Presidential Spokesperson, Dr Doyin Okupe, has described the leadership  crisis in Rivers as a “total misfortune”, saying the problem requires a political solution.

    Okupe, a former Director-General of the Labour Party (LP) Presidential Campaign Council  said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos.

    NAN reports that Rivers has been  engulfed in a political crisis over a power tussle between Gov. Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Mr Nyesom Wike, who is now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    The rift has polarised the State House of Assembly with lawmakers loyal to both political gladiators electing different Speakers to lead the House.

    Lawmakers loyal to Wike recently dumped the ruling PDP to join APC, while a couple of commissioners loyal to the minister have quit Fubara’s cabinet.

    A State High Court in Port Harcourt had in May  barred the lawmakers from parading themselves  as members of state’s House of Assembly after their defection to APC.

    The order followed a suit filed by Mr Victor Jumbo,a factional Speaker and two other lawmakers ,loyal to Gov.Fubara.

    The court held that all of the laws made by Mr Martin Awaewhule ,the other factional Speaker, and  the 24 other lawmakers loyal to Wike would amount to a nullity until the matter was determined.

    The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja ,however, on Thursday vacated the order that sacked 25 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly ,who defected to APC.

    The appellate court, in a unanimous decision by a three-man panel of Justices, held that the Rivers State High Court, which issued the order, lacked the requisite jurisdiction to do

    Read Also: Rivers: We won’t be distracted, says Fubara

    Reacting, Okupe said the crisis in the state was caused by disregard for rules and laws.

    According to him ,while the judiciary can help to put things right ,the best way to end the festering crisis is to proffer a  political solution.

    “That is a total misfortune, and the real issue, if we look at it properly, is that we do not obey our laws. if only we obey our laws, this situation cannot surface at all.

    “The courts have to help, the judiciary must be consistent, fair and judge according to law not any other sentiment

    “Let us all obey our laws and our rules and let the court adjudicate according to theb law and anybody who flouts the law should pay for it.

    “The way things are going in Rivers  right now  is dangerous, but a political solution is what I will suggest ,as a very experienced politician,” he said.

    Emphasising the need for a political solution ,Okupe said politics is about interest and that the crisis would end if the interests of the disagreeing parties are discussed and reconciled.

    He said: “In all my years of politics, I have never seen anything in this world that a political solution cannot resolve in all political disagreements.

    “Politics is about interest- What is the interest of A and what is the interest of B and how can we marry them? That’s is all.” he said.

    (NAN)

  • Peter Obi and I don’t share LP’s ideologies – Okupe

    Peter Obi and I don’t share LP’s ideologies – Okupe

    Former director-general of the Labour Party (LP) presidential campaign during the 2023 general election, Doyin Okupe, has said that the party was just a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for the presidential election.

    The Nation had reported in January that Okupe resigned his membership of LP, citing ideological differences.

    Speaking on Arise Television on Tuesday, April 23, Okupe said he and Peter Obi, LP presidential candidate in last year’s election, do not necessarily subscribe to the ideologies of the party.

    The former presidential aide said his membership of the party ended the moment Obi lost the election.

    He said: “The LP for us — for Peter Obi and I — and those in the leadership of the movement, the party was a special purpose vehicle (SPV).

    Read Also: Okupe knocks Ndume for faulting relocation of CBN, FAAN to Lagos

    “I have never been a labour person, I have never operated on the left before but we needed a platform and this was the only platform readily available to us.

    “We thought that if we won the election… there are no fast and hard rules about ideologies. You can always find a shade between the left and the right. You can always move to the centre.

    “We were hoping and praying that if we won we would find a way to come to some consensus with the labour.

    “Peter Obi is not a labour person. He is not a leftist person, he is a trader, he is a businessman just like me. I am a liberal democrat, I believe in liberal democracy, and I believe in free enterprise.

    “I am not a social worker. As far as I’m concerned, my membership of labour expired the moment we lost that election.”

    “It was “unreasonable” for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to present a northerner as its candidate in the buildup to the 2023 election.”

  • Of Obasanjo, Okupe and their dissenting children

    The 2019 presidential election may still be more than two months away, but it has brought the peace of two prominent Nigerian families under severe threat. It is not the best of times for former Nigerian President, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, and his erstwhile spokesman, Chief Doyin Okupe, as both are on the verge of losing the loyalty of their children on account of the second term ambition of President Muhammadu Buhari, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Obasanjo and Okupe are pitted against their sons, Olujonwo and Ditan, as they root for the success of former vice president and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Their two children, on the other hand, have not only publicly declared their support for Buhari, they have vowed to join the sitting President’s campaign train and work very hard for his re-election.

    Never since the days of David and Absalom has the power and influence of a father over his son been so openly challenged or rebuffed. Yet it is a kind of humiliation the two fathers rarely deserve, considering that they have paid their dues not only as politicians but also as statesmen. Obasanjo, a major actor in the civil war that threatened to tear Nigeria apart between 1967 and 1970, a former head of state and former president, has already suffered enough embarrassment from family members after the stinker of a book his eldest wife wrote on him and the widely reported allegation by his eldest son that he slept with his wife and so was responsible for the collapse of his marriage!

    Okupe, a medical doctor by training, has found so much fulfillment in politics as a former presidential spokesman, former senior special assistant to the President and former governorship aspirant that he may now not be able to recognise a syringe. Losing the love and loyalty of his son to a presidential candidate outside his own political camp is the least he deserves after sacrificing his profession for governance. The tag of a bastard he brought upon himself in the run-up to the 2015 presidential election should not be compounded with the loss of his son’s attention.

    Apparently haunted by the wrongs he might have done his son in the past, Okupe was reported as saying that Ditan’s decision to canvass support for Buhari while he, the father, remained at the forefront of the campaign for Atiku’s presidency was a deliberate act aimed at taking his own pound of flesh. Happily, the young man has declared that he has a larger heart than his father imagines. Hence, his support for Buhari has nothing to do with whatever differences existed between him and his father but a decision that was based strictly on patriotic fervour.

    Ditan, who said he decided to pitch his tent with Buhari because he is the kind of leader Nigeria needs at this point, has since followed up his hand of fellowship with a public appeal to his father, asking him to channel his energy to drumming support for Buhari instead of Atiku. In a post he published on his Twitter handle, Ditan said: “I have said repeatedly that my decision was not based on revenge. I’m not even sure if my father is officially a PDP member or if he is actually on their campaign, but I will like to give my father @doyinokupe who I love, an open invitation to join the winning team now.”

    Both Obasanjo and Okupe should count themselves lucky that their sons have laid their hearts bare in the matter rather than act like the children of a polygamous headmaster of a primary school in one of the northern states who contested a councillorship election some years ago. At the polling unit where five of his wives and 16 of his children voted, the man recorded only eight votes.

    Burning with rage at the realization that some of his wives and children had betrayed him by voting for rival candidates, he summoned a meeting of all the family members, seeking to know who the traitors were. But when he asked the family members who voted for him to raise their hands, it was everybody that did!

    Unfortunately, the poor man had no way of verifying members of the family who voted for him or those who did not, because it was secret ballot. Disappointed and confused, he resorted to raining curses on his wives and children who did not vote for him during the exercise.

    But that notwithstanding, a major pillar of Yoruba culture, which borders on a child’s obedience to his father will be exposed to danger if the examples of Ditan and Olujonwo are allowed to catch on. That is why all the elders of Yorubaland must come together as a matter of urgency to address this clear and present threat to the very foundation of their culture. The two elder statesmen must be reconciled with their children either by asking the children to join their fathers’ camp in keeping with the dictates of tradition or asking the fathers to join their children’s camp for the sake of good thinking.

  • Saraki appoints Okupe as campaign council chair

    Senate President Bukola Saraki has appointed Dr. Doyin Okupe as chairman of the Media Council for his campaign organisation.

    A statement yesterday by the Director-General, Abubakar Bukola Saraki Campaign Organisation, Mohammed Wakil,

    said Okupe, a doctor and politician, served as the national publicity secretary of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) in the Third Republic; director of Communications of the presidential campaigns of two former presidents, Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan and later served as senior special assistant on Media and Public Affairs to both presidents.

    The statement said he would work with other top professionals in the team to communicate the campaign messages of Dr. Saraki to Nigerians and the international community.

     

  • You’re not our Southwest leader, Accord tells Okupe

    The chairmen and leaders of Accord (AP) in the Southwest have warned a former Presidential Adviser, Dr Doyin Okupe, to desist from parading himself as leader of the party in the zone.

    The party chiefs gave the warning in a communique they issued at the end of their meeting yesterday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

    The communique noted that the party’s Southwest chapter viewed a purported meeting organised by Okupe as of no effect.

    It said those who attended it had no locus standi to do so on behalf of the party.

    The communique said: “Action is ongoing to identify erring party members who were at the meeting with Okupe and sanctions are awaiting them at the zonal level.”

    Accord said it was untrue that its National Secretary, Mrs Adebukola Ajaja, and National Vice-Chairman for the Southwest, Alhaji Dokun Babarinnde, attended the meeting with Okupe.

    “The Accord Southwest is one and indivisible under the leadership of Alhaji Dotun Babatunde and other national officers from the zone,” the party said.

    The communique stressed that representatives of the party in the region had agreed that Okupe’s alleged anti-party activities would be reported to Accord’s national body for further actions.

    At the meeting, the Chairman of Accord’s Board of Trustees (BoT), Mr Isaac Adeniyi, expressed concern over Okupe’s alleged anti-party activities.

    He urged the party’s leadership in the Southwest to treat the report with urgency.

    The chairman told party members and state executive that Okupe, with some unnamed persons, held a meeting in Ogun State, where he declared himself as the leader of the party in the Southwest.

    Representatives of the party in the zone who attended the meeting included Chief Kayode Ojo (Ondo), Alhaji Muda Ogunsola (Oyo), Isiaka Amusa (Ogun), Alhaji Abdulrahman Opawuyi (Osun) and Mr Rotimi Ajibola (Lagos).

    But Dr Okupe has said he remains the leader of the party in the Southwest.

    Okupe was reacting to a statement credited to some leaders of the party in the Southwest, denouncing his leadership of the party in the zone.

    He said: “I remain the authentic leader of Accord in the Southwest. There’s a letter from the national secretariat of the party authenticating this.”

    The former presidential aide described as a charade the meeting of some chieftains of the party, led by the party’s National Secretary, Dr (Mrs) Adebukola Ajaja, in Ibadan.

    Okupe said: “Those present at the Ibadan meeting were All Progressives Congress (APC) moles working for the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari. They are lightweight politicians whose presence in Accord over the years has not added any substantial value to improve the fortune of the party.

    “The Iperu meeting, where a vote of confidence was passed in my leadership, was attended by notable leaders of the party in the Southwest, except the Oyo and Ogun states’ chairmen.

    “The Ogun State chairman, however, sent his deputy to represent him and apologise for his absence.”

    The former presidential adviser also said: “What is happening in the party presently is a desperate attempt by the National Chairman to use the party to promote the re-election bid of President Buhari.

    “That is why the National Chairman is using the Secretary of the party as a stooge to destabilise the Southwest zone of the party. It is on record that every notable personality in the party in Oyo State, including former Governor Rasheed Ladoja, left the party due to the way the party is being run by Ajaja who is doing the bidding of the National Chairman.

    “The National Chairman, who is from Daura, the hometown of President Buhari, dragged the National Assembly to court over election timetable. He claimed to have done that on behalf of Accord without the approval of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party.

    “He went further to employ the service of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) for the case, paying them millions of naira when the party has no money in its coffers. When confronted on where he got the money, he confessed to have got the funding from the government.

    “These are the characters presently parading themselves as leaders of Accord. It is clear that they are more of political merchants who have nothing good to offer to position the party as a credible alternative. We are ready to restrict their plans to annex the party as a support group for President Buhari’s re-election.”

  • Why Saraki can’t realise ambition in APC, by Okupe

    SENATE President Bukola Saraki has been told that his presidential ambition cannot be realised in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Former presidential spokesman and Accord Party chieftain Doyin Okupe gave this position on a Channels television breakfast show, Sunrise Daily, where he spokes on the ongoing efforts by opposition parties to unite against the APC.

    He said the hostility against the Senate President was too strong for him to attempt a shot at the most exalted office under the ruling party.

    Besides, Okupe, a medical doctor-turned politician, argued that incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari has a right to be offered the right of first refusal.

    The former presidential spokesman said: “And besides, the normal practice in politics is that if an incumbent of a ruling party desires to run again, you must give him the choice of first refusal. So, I don’t see anybody contesting against Buhari in APC.”

    Foreclosing the feasibility of Saraki clinching the APC presidential ticket, Okupe said: “I don’t see Saraki contesting for the presidency in APC. It is impossible. The situation and the hostility against him is so much.

    There is Yoruba saying that you don’t sing a song where you are not loved because nobody choruses with you. So, I don’t see a Saraki contesting the primaries under APC.”

    Acknowledging the APC advantage over other parties to win next year’s elections, the former presidential spokesman argued that a coalition of strong political forces could dislodge the ruling party.

    His words: “The party that has the first chance of winning tomorrow is the APC because they have the power of incumbency. But it is not that Buhari is unbeatable, or that the APC is undefeatable.

    “From what is developing today, with the confederation of political forces in the country, the unity of the elite… I want to say that with this kind of coalition and alliances that are building up, the APC will have to tighten its belt very well.”

    He listed Governors Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto) and Ibrahim Dakwambo (Gombe) as aspirants eminently qualified to vie for the presidential seat.

    He said the President has the opportunity of becoming a hero by not seeking a second term in office, as according to him, the popularity he enjoyed in the past in parts of the country had waned.

    Okupe said: “The APC would be doing itself a favour if by not allowing the President to run. The Buhari’s government and the APC are presently at the lowest ebb of popularity. The belief that Buhari has 12 millions votes in the North is a delusion.

  • Okupe is an expired politician, says Sagay

    PRESIDENTIAL Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) Chairman Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN) said yesterday he had no time for the likes of former presidential spokesman Dr. Doyin Okupe, who he described as an “expired politician”.

    Okupe had urged Sagay to include the salaries and allowances of President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, whenever he carries out his threat to reveal what the National Assembly’s leadership and members earned as allowances.

    The former presidential spokesman challenged the PACAC chair to unveil the details within 24 hours, saying any further delay in carrying out the threat would adversely affect Sagay’s credibility.

    But, Sagay told The Nation that Okupe, who he accused of being anti-masses and always siding with the oppressors, had no right to make such a demand of him.

    “I don’t really have much time for Okupe. He’s an expired politician. He has always being on the wrong side, against the ordinary persons. So, I can understand why he would react that way when powerful and privileged people are being challenged.

    “So, he should just sort himself out; he has a lot of problems. He has no locus standi to make that demand of me.”

    Sagay clarified that he never claimed to have the exact details of how much senators and their leaders collect as allowances.

    According to him, what he said was that the N13million, which Senator Shehu Sani revealed was senators’ monthly running cost was only a tip of the iceberg, and that he was working on getting the exact figures of other huge allowances they allocate to themselves, which he would eventually make public.

    “I didn’t say I had the information. I said I was working on it. I have to make enquiries and verify the information I get. So, I’m working on it. Once I get the information, I’ll take the next step,” he said.

    On how far he has gone with his research, he said: “Nothing is certain now. What I have are just raw facts, which I haven’t verified.”

    On Okupe’s demand that he should also disclose what the President and Vice President earn, Sagay said their salaries and allowances could not be compared to the senators’ jumbo salaries and allowances.

    Besides, Sagay said unlike the senators’ salaries and allowances, which had always been shrouded in secrecy, what the President and Vice President earn were in the public domain.

    His words: “We already know that the President earns about N1.7 million; that’s all. If they have any evidence that he collects money for other things, let them expose it.  The Vice President earns a little less than the President.

    “If everybody in the country was like the President and Vice President, Nigeria would have been a developed country by now. They are not pauperising us as others are doing, especially the National Assembly.”

    Sagay said he had no problem making public what he earns as PACAC chairman.

    Three international development partners – the Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation and Open Society Foundation established an Anti-Corruption and Criminal Justice Reform Fund to support PACAC’s work.

    The $5 million fund was set aside to assist in the implementation of key components of the government’s anti-corruption agenda, including PACAC’s activities. The fund is managed by Trust Africa.

  • Okupe: only coalition can sack APC in 2019

    Accord Party National Leader Dr. Doyin Okupe has advised opposition parties to form a coalition to defeat President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2019 general election.

    Okupe, a former presidential spokesman, said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as presently constituted, is weak to upstage APC from power.

    According to him, only a strong coalition of several parties will actualise the dream of upstaging APC from power.

    Okupe described Accord as a veritable third force blowing like a whirlwind across the Southwest and other parts of the country.

    The party leader expressed confidence that Accord will win next year’s governorship election in Ekiti State.

    Okupe spoke at the weekend in Ado-Ekiti, the capital, during the election and inauguration of the party’s state executive and the official adoption of Akogun Banjo Ojo as the party’s governorship candidate.

    At the event, 500 members of the PDP, APC and Labour Party defected to Accord and were received by the state Chairman, Chief Abiola Odeoba, and National Chairman, Mr. Lawan Nalado.

    Okupe said PDP and APC had disappointed Nigerians, adding that the best way to push them out is to embrace Accord.

    He said: “It took a coalition in 1998 to send away the military. The coalition crystallised into the PDP, won election and held it for 16 years.

    “It took a coalition of forces again in 2015 to wrest power from the PDP. That is what Nigerians should do in 2019.”

    On the 2018 Ekiti governorship poll, Okupe said: “Ekiti residents have tasted the APC and PDP and they knew they have disappointed badly. So, the time has come now to try another party, which is Accord, in 2018.”