A prominent Nigerian physician, politician, and former director general of the Labour Party campaign organisation, Dr. Doyin Okupe, has died.
He passed away at the age of 72 on Thursday.
According to sources close to the family, Dr. Okupe had been critically ill in the weeks leading up to his demise.
His health had reportedly deteriorated significantly, prompting concern among his loved ones and supporters.
According to reports, his death was linked to cancer, marking the end of a long struggle with the illness.
In October 2023,Okupe was hospitalized with prostate cancer and was flown to Israel for treatment.
However, it was learnt that his condition did not improve as he and his family expected.
Okupe was first diagnosed with prostate cancer 16 years ago and later developed sarcoma in his right shoulder.
THE MAN DOYIN OKUPE
Adedoyin Ajibike Okupe, better known as Dr. Doyin Okupe, is a Nigerian physician and politician who co-founded Royal Cross Medical Centre and was the National Publicity Secretary of National Republican Convention (NRC).
He was once detained under General Sani Abacha, and subsequently disqualified from participating in United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) primaries; later on, he was a governorship aspirant of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State.
Okupe was Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Olusegun Obasanjo and Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to President Goodluck Jonathan.
Background
Born on 22 March 1952 in Iperu in Ogun State of Nigeria, Okupe is the son of Chief Matthew Adekoya Okupe, who was a banker with Agbonmagbe Bank.
His brothers are Kunle Okupe, Owo Okupe, Wemi Okupe and Larry Okupe, and his sisters are Aina Okanlawon and Bisola Ayeni. He attended St. Jude’s School in Ebute Metta, Lagos, Igbobi College in Yaba, Lagos and the University of Ibadan in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Although Okupe is a medical doctor, he is also active in party politics. He was also once a publisher of a health newspaper called Life Mirror.
Medical career
Okupe worked for some years for government and private hospitals, including St. Nicholas Hospital, Lagos, before establishing the Royal Cross Medical Centre (also known as Royal Cross Hospital) in Obalende, Lagos, along with his colleagues, Dr. Seyi Roberts and Dr. Ladi Okuboyejo. He was the Managing Director (MD) of Royal Cross Medical Centre.
According to Olusegun Osoba in a July 2019 interview with The Nation, on the night of 23 August 1994, Okupe and Dr. Seyi Roberts saved the life of his gatekeeper from a gunshot wound to the head.
Political career
During the Second Nigerian Republic, Okupe was a House of Representatives candidate of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in the 1983 Nigerian parliamentary election.
In the Third Nigerian Republic, Okupe became the National Publicity Secretary of National Republican Convention (NRC). He was one of the representatives of the NRC that observed the collation of the 1993 Nigerian presidential election results at the headquarters of the National Electoral Commission (NEC).
The General Sani Abacha military government detained Okupe on 3 October 1996. Later on, in March 1998, during the aborted transition programme of Abacha, he was among the politicians who were disqualified from participating in United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) primaries.
At the advent of the current Fourth Nigerian Republic, Okupe was appointed Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Later on, in 2002, he was one of the governorship aspirants of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) primaries in Ogun State, and was a major contender along with Gbenga Daniel. In 2012, President Goodluck Jonathan appointed Okupe as his Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs.
Okupe was publicist at various times to Nigerian presidential aspirants of the PDP, including President Olusegun Obasanjo, President Goodluck Jonathan, Bukola Saraki and Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
In July 2017, he announced his decision to leave the PDP to join the Accord Party, but for accepting to be the Chairman of the Campaign Media Council of Bukola Saraki for the 2019 presidential primaries of the PDP, the Accord Party expelled him in September 2018.
He subsequently returned to the PDP, and became a spokesman of the Presidential Campaign Organisation of Atiku Abubakar, the PDP candidate for president in the 2019 Nigerian presidential election.
Okupe joined the Labour Party ahead of 2023 Nigerian general election and stood in as the running mate and vice presidential candidate of the Labour Party until a substantive candidate was picked.
Personal life
Okupe is married to Aduralere Okupe with two children.
While Okupe supported the PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar in the 2019 Nigerian general election, his son Ditan supported Muhammadu Buhari.
In May 2020, it was reported that Okupe and his wife, Aduralere tested positive COVID-19 on 23 April 2020 and have recovered.
In January 2021, his other son, Bolu Okupe, based in Paris, came out as gay on his Instagram page.
He and his son Bolu supported Peter Obi for 2023 Nigerian presidential election.
