Aide confirms Okupe’s death, says he will be sorely missed

A former presidential spokesman and ex-chieftain of Labour Party, Dr. Doyin Okupe, has died at the age of 72.

Okupe’s personal assistant, Mr Mayowa Banwo, confirmed his death to our reporter on Friday.

Banwo said Okupe died in the early hours of Friday at an undisclosed private hospital in Lagos.

He, however, said he did not have any information about the cause of his death.

“Yes, it is true that he passed away. He died overnight at a hospital in Lagos.

“On the cause of his death, I do not know anything about that. All I know is that he has passed away.

“His death is a rude shock to all of us. He was a fantastic man; he will be sorely missed, he said.

On the delay in the confirmation of the late politician’s death by family members, Banwo said it was expected as all his children were out of the country.

“However, I can confirm to you that they are on their way back to the country to give other details about his death,” he said.

Okupe was Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Olusegun Obasanjo and Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to President Goodluck Jonathan.

He was also a former Director-General of Peter Obi’s 2023 Presidential Campaign.

The politician was also a vocal supporter of President Bola Tinubu and his reforms, granting many media interviews to express his admiration for Tinubu and support for his agenda for the country months before his death.

He, however, declined an interview request by our reporter in January, citing his failing health.