Doyin Okupe: APC imported people from other south-west states for Lagos rally

Doyin Okupe, director-general of the Peter Obi presidential campaign, says the Lagos rally of the All Progressives Congress (APC) pales in comparison to that of the Labour Party (LP).

Okupe threw the jibe at the ruling party during an interview with Channels Television.

Earlier on Sunday, Musiliu Akinsanya, chairman of the Lagos state parks and garages management committee, better known as MC Oluomo, convened a “five million-man” rally in support of Bola Tinubu, the APC standard bearer.

The solidarity rally came one week after LP supporters organised similar rallies in different parts of Lagos.

Okupe said opposition parties are playing “catch-up” to LP, adding that forensic analysis of videos from the APC rally showed that some participants were imported from other south-west states.

“One of the greatest things that has happened in this dispensation is that a four-month-old party is now so much in leadership that parties that have existed for 20 years and more are playing a catch-up game and it is not being done very well,” he said.

“I want to congratulate the APC for the efforts made today. What you saw was not a Lagos rally. We are a very sophisticated group — a group driven by and powered by youths.

“We have done a forensic of the tape of the rally in our laboratory. We found out that… I personally can recognise about four or five people from my federal constituency, others can recongise people from Oyo, Osun, etc.

“What you saw this morning was a south-west rally, not really a Lagos rally. If you give it as a Lagos rally, it is just a fair comparison with what happened in Festac.

“You will recall that the October 1, LP rally by Obidents took place in an unprecedented and organic manner in Lekki, Festac, Ikeja and Surulere — in four different locations.

“What you saw in Lagos today was nothing compared to any one of them(referring to the four locations), maybe at least it is at par with one of them.

“What APC has been able to do, having seen the LP movement, is still about a quarter of what we did.

“We did a forensic study of the tape — 60 percent and 70 percent of those who participated were members of an institution called NURTW.”

‘OBI’S DIASPORA CAMPAIGN NOT TO RAISE FUNDS’ 

Speaking on Obi’s diaspora campaign, Okupe said the LP presidential candidate did not collect money from Nigerians abroad during his tour in August.

He said fundraising was not the primary purpose of Obi’s visit to Nigerians in the diaspora.

“I’m the director-general of the campaign. I’m also a Christian. I will not lie to you. He (Obi) went abroad about four or six weeks ago, we did not collect any money,” Okupe said.

“Not that we are against raising money from Nigerians in diaspora, that was not the primary intention.

“The primary intention is for the candidate to sell himself to some of the major stakeholders in our communities who have a lot of influence back home on the Nigerian communities. That was the aim and we have achieved that.”