Okupe appointed chairman of Saraki’s media campaign

Senate President Bukola Saraki has appointed Doyin Okupe, a former aide of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, as chairman of the media council for his campaign organisation.

Saraki is a presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Okupe’s appointment was announced by Mohammed Wakil, director general of the Saraki Presidential Campaign Organisation.

In a statement, Wakil said Okupe will “work with other top professionals in the team to effectively communicate the campaign messages of Dr. Saraki to the people of Nigeria and the international community”.

“Okupe, a medical doctor and politician, had served as the National Publicity Secretary of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) in the aborted 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 read.

Okupe resigned his membership of the PDP last year, saying it is clear that the opposition party would not bear fruits in the future.

It is with deep regret that I publicly announce my resignation from the People’s Democratic Party,” he had said in a statement.

“It has to be public because the PDP no longer exists in my ward as a single unified party it was when I joined it. “It is no longer news that the PDP has been embroiled in a fratricidal internal crisis brought upon it by itself.

“Its current direction is difficult to discern and I am convinced that even when the much expected judgement from the Supreme Court is given, the future of the party is not likely to be significantly affected whichever way the judgement goes.”