The Labour Party has announced a former presidential aide Akin Osuntokun as the new Director-General (DG) of its Presidential Campaign Council (PCC).
Osuntokun succeeds Doyin Okupe who resigned of late as the director-general of the campaign council for the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Channels Television had exclusively reported on December 19, 2022 that Oshuntokun was a front runner to take Okupe’s position.
Until recently, Osuntokun was the Zonal Coordinator (South) of the campaign council. A former Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Osuntokun served as Political Adviser to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, and as Director of the Presidential campaign of the People’s Democratic Party in 2011.
Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of a Federal High Court in Abuja on December 19, 2022 had found Okupe guilty of receiving over N200 million cash from former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki, ruling that his action violated the Money Laundering Act.
The court held that Okupe was guilty in counts 34, 35, 36, and 59 and sentenced him to two years imprisonment with an option of a fine.
Okupe, an ally of Obi right from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before the duo joined the LP this year, subsequently paid a N13m fine and escaped being jailed.
Okupe, a former aide to then President Goodluck Jonathan, later resigned as the director-general of Obi’s campaigns.
Osuntokun, who is from Ekiti State, was a former managing director of the News Agency of Nigeria.
Political analysts said he has an on-field political experience.
He is a Nigerian political scientist, strategist, researcher, administrator, journalist and writer, with experience in media advocacy, policy research and implementation and political analysis. A former Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria, Osuntokun served as Political Adviser to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, and as Director of the presidential campaign of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in 2011.
