LAGOS – A renowned Nigerian physician, politician, and former presidential aide, Doyin Okupe – has passed away, family sources said on Friday. He was 72.
Okupe died just 15 days to his birthday on March 22.
According to family sources, he died on Friday, March 7, 2025, after being critically ill for several weeks.
It was gathered that Okupe’s health had significantly deteriorated, causing concern among his loved ones and supporters.
He had been battling cancer for 16 years, initially diagnosed with prostate cancer and later developing sarcoma in his right shoulder, local news outlets reported.
In October 2023, Okupe was hospitalized with prostate cancer and received treatment in Israel.
Okupe served as a senior adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan and later as the Director-General of Peter Obi’s 2023 Presidential Campaign.
However, his political journey was marked by controversies.
In December 2022, Okupe stepped down from Obi’s campaign after being convicted of money laundering.
He later resigned from the Labour Party following the 2023 general election fallout and later became a vocal supporter of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, frequently engaging in political debates and commentary.
Okupe was known for his bold political stance and unfiltered opinions. His ability to navigate Nigeria’s complex political landscape made him both a respected and controversial figure.
Doyin Okupe was born on 22 March 1952 in Iperu in the southwestern state of Ogun State.
He was the son of Chief Matthew Adekoya Okupe, who was a banker with Agbonmagbe Bank, (now Wema Bank). His brothers were Kunle Okupe, Owo Okupe, Wemi Okupe and Larry Okupe, and his sisters are Aina Okanlawon and Bisola Ayeni.
Okupe attended St. Jude’s School in Ebute Metta, Lagos, Igbobi College in Yaba, Lagos and the University of Ibadan in Ibadan, Oyo State.
He 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.
In a July 2019 interview with The Nation newspaper, Ogun State’s Former Governor Olusegun Osoba revealed that Okupe and Dr. Seyi Roberts saved the life of his gatekeeper from a gunshot wound to the head on the night of 23 August 1994.
During the Second Republic, Okupe was a House of Representatives candidate of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in the 1983 Nigerian parliamentary election.
In the Third 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.
Okupe married Aduralere Okupe and had two children.
With news agencies
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