A former presidential spokesperson, Doyin Okupe, has asserted that he has never criticized President Bola Ahmed Tinubu throughout his political career.
Okupe recalled the former governor of Lagos State’s political and career struggle, saying that even though they had long been separated in political stance, he had consistently believed that Tinubu would perform well if elected.
Naijaonpoint reports that Okupe made this remark on Sunday in Lagos while responding to a recent report that included him among politicians who had previously criticized Tinubu but have now become his ardent supporters.
He explained that, as a dedicated politician, he followed the counsel of certain Yoruba elders to withdraw his ambitions prior to the 2023 general elections and to support a candidate from the South East for the sake of national unity.
Okupe noted that since the candidate he endorsed did not prevail, he saw no reason not to support the President and contribute to his success.
The former Labour Party leader remarked that his limited interactions with Tinubu have shown him to be a patriotic and visionary leader, deeply committed to the nation’s advancement.
He reiterated that no evidence in his political history indicates that he has ever criticized Tinubu.
“Go and check through my time in the Labour Party and PDP. I have never in my life criticised Bola Tinubu, even though we have never been under the same political umbrella before.
“A good man does not spoil another good person. We had a very serious, not-so-visible bond during the NADECO (National Democratic Coalition).
“He was abroad. We were here in Nigeria coordinating.
“When we were in the trenches together under severe pressure from government, running from here to here, it gives a bond that even political partisanship cannot give.
“So, you can go and check all publications. I have never, ever criticised him. There is nowhere you will hear me speak anything ill about Bola Tinubu,” Okupe said.