Doyin Okupe, former spokesperson to immediate past President, Goodluck Jonathan has explained why his ex-principal was floored in the last March 28 Presidential election.
Okupe, fondly called Jonathan’s ‘Attack Dog’ attributed his former boss’ defeat to his failure to sack Attahiru Jega as chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, before the election.
He was reacting to claims by Chairman of DAAR Communications (AIT), Chief Raymond Dokpesi, that the candidacy of Jonathan was in error.
The former presidential spokesman, who had maintained a closed lips since PDP was ousted from power, took to his Facebook page to break his long silence.
He affirmed that the decision by then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to pick his ex-boss was in order.
Okupe further argued that the only error the PDP administration made was their failure to sack the immediate-past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, despite his alleged political incompetence.
His words, “The impression created in the media recently that the candidacy of Goodluck Jonathan was an error is itself a grand fallacy which totally undermined the whole truth about the sanctity and correctness of the wisdom of the PDP National Executive Committee which made and ratified that decision.
“All over the World, when an incumbent signifies intention for a second term, it is customary that the established machinery of the party wholly backs and gratifies such intentions.
“If any error was made, it was firstly the failure of the PDP administration to sack the unfair and compromised electoral Officer who was allowed to conduct the election in spite of his obvious and profuse partisanship.
“The second error was the inexplicable acquiescence of the PDP government to the use of the infamous Card Reader which was skilfully manipulated to the disadvantage of the PDP presidential candidate.
“The third error of the PDP was to have fielded a good, God fearing and patriotic man who in spite of his enormous power, the avalanche of deployable arsenal of war at his disposal, transformed himself to be the victim and refused to fight so that his countrymen may live and his Nation survived. The situation in Burundi today is highly instructive.
“Certainly history will treat Goodluck Jonathan as one of the greatest Heroes of this generation of African Leaders. Definitely not an error by any stretch of imagination.
“I speak today not as a spokesman for President Jonathan. An episode and a proud chapter of my life which has since come to a Close. Rather I speak as a student of History and a veritable stakeholder in the Nigerian project,” said Okupe.
