Peter Obi betrayed Atiku, Ayo Adebanjo persuaded me to support him – Okupe

A former presidential aide, Doyin Okupe has accused the 2023 Labour Party, LP, presidential candidate, Peter Obi of betraying his counterpart from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar.

Okupe said Atiku brought Obi to limelight as his running mate in 2019 but the latter betrayed his former principal.

He disclosed that Obi’s presidential interest forced him to go against Atiku.

Okupe made the claim in a viral video where he denied betraying the former Anambra State governor.

The former spokesman of the Obi-Datti presidential campaign said he withdrew his support for Obi because he was no longer interested in working with him.

He said, “They said I betrayed Obi. No. How can I betray him? I started politics in 1978. Obi was nowhere else.

“Obi was the vice-presidential candidate of Atiku Abubakar in 2019. He brought him to the national limelight.

“Because of his own ambition, which was correct and due, Obi left the party and contested against Atiku. If people said I betrayed Obi, what did Obi do to Atiku? It is not fair.

“It is Obi’s interest in 2023 that made him go on a collision course against his former master. Obi was not my master; I was his supporter. If I supported him up to a point and decided to go back and be myself, how can that be an offence?”

Okupe also disclosed that Pa Ayo Adebanjo of Afenifere made him support Obi.

He said: “Baba asked which section of the South should be considered if the presidency was zoned to the region. I told Baba that it was only the South-East that has not produced a president.

“Baba said we should support the South-East for the presidency and I agreed. We reviewed the presidential candidates from that region and we concluded on supporting Obi. That was what happened.”