Former Director-General of the Labour Party (LP) Presidential Campaign, Doyin Okupe, has revealed that President Bola Tinubu’s decision to succeed Muhammadu Buhari was driven by a strong passion to rescue and rebuild Nigeria.
In an interview with Vanguard, when asked about claims that Tinubu’s “Emilokan” declaration contrasted with the perception of his unpreparedness, especially considering the worsening economy since May 29, 2023, Okupe responded: “Unfortunately, he (Tinubu) has come into government at a very terrible and awful time.
“And when I met him, I told him, ‘Are you out of your mind? How would you want to succeed a Buhari (Muhammadu) administration, eight years of total abandonment, decadence and retrogression?’
“He (Tinubu) said he was driven by passion to help Nigeria.”
“Having been part and parcel of those who brought Buhari, you can’t blame somebody for bringing a leader. If the leader does not perform, it’s unfortunate. But if you are brave enough to say, yes, you know; whatever the leader has done wrong, ‘let us put our necks out and correct it’. And this is what this guy is doing,” he added.
Okupe defended Tinubu against criticisms, arguing that the president shouldn’t be blamed for decades of systemic issues or the failures of the previous administration.
“How can you hold President Tinubu accountable for the ills of 30, 40 years? And for the two-terms of national abandonment of the last eight years, it’s unfair, it’s unrealistic,” he stated.
Highlighting Tinubu’s reformist agenda, Okupe emphasized that significant results would take time.
“And go and check it, being a reformer, you know, he didn’t ask me to say this, but I’m telling you from commonsense and my understanding of how government works, Bola Tinubu will need a minimum of two years for some of his policies to be properly established and to begin to produce results,” he noted.
Drawing a comparison with former Singaporean leader Lee Kuan Yew, Okupe underscored the importance of long-term vision in leadership.
“I have gone to read history, I read about Lin Kuan Yew. Lin Kuan Yew had, you know, Singapore, and at that point in time, the other country next to it, Malaysia, before they pulled out. He had those 31 years to rule that country, to transform that nation from Third World to First World. He said, ‘I did certain things that were not okay’,” Okupe concluded.