A former presidential aide, Dr Doyin Okupe, who is a well know supporter of Atiku to defeat Buhari in the 2019 presidential election has revealed that his son, Ditan, have joined President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election campaign to get back at him over their ‘serious issues’.
A former presidential aide said this following the announcement made by Festus Keyamo, the spokesperson for the President Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organisation.
On Thursday, 8 November, Festus Keyamo announced on his Twitter account (@fkeyamo) that Ditan, Okupe’s son had joined the president’s re-election campaign despite his father being a vocal voice in the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
While announcing Ditan’s involvement with Buhari’s campaign on Thursday, Keyamo mockingly stated that Atiku’s salesmen cannot sell the candidate to their children, clearly also referring to the case of Olujonwo, the son of former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, also an Atiku supporter for 2019, who met Buhari last week to pledge his support.
Keyamo posted,
“Breaking ranks with their fathers for PMB: Ditan Okupe, 1st son of Atiku’s man, Doyin Okupe, a UK-trained lawyer of 12 yrs post-call in Nig, volunteers to work 4 PMB’s campaign team just like OBJ’s son. Nigerian youths note: Atiku’s salesmen cannot even sell him to their children.”
In response to Keyamo’s taunt, Okupe revealed that he has had serious issues with his son for the past five years. He took to his Twitter account (@doyinokupe) to suggest that joining Buhari’s campaign might be his son’s way of hurting him. He posted:
https://twitter.com/doyinokupe/status/1060641328709726208
“We both have had serious issues in the last 5 years. This may be his way of getting back at me.”
He disclosed in another tweet that Ditan had been trying to contact his political foes like the national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, to pull a similar stunt.
https://twitter.com/doyinokupe/status/1060661150252236800
“…Ditan who also has been trying for months to get the contacts of people he considers my political foes, incl Tinubu, Kashamu, OGD etc. For him, this is his finest hour.”
Ditan, while explaining his reason for backing President Buhari in a letter he addressed to his campaign organization, he indicated that there’s no better candidate to take Nigeria forward other than the president.