The newly-appointed Director-General of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, Akin Osuntokun has said former President Olusegun Obasanjo is fully behind the presidential bid of Peter Obi.
Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, is the presidential candidate of the Labour Party.
Osuntokun noted this on Wednesday during an interview on Channels TV Politics Today, monitored by Raye24Reporters.
When asked by the anchor of the programme if he was recommended for the position by Obasanjo, Osuntokun said, “I don’t know; you will have to ask my principal, Peter Obi,” adding that he did not appoint himself.
The anchor had noted that both Osuntokun and his predecessor, Doyin Okupe, were close to the former President.
But when asked if Obasanjo is fully backing Obi’s candidacy, Osuntokun replied, “Yes.”
Osuntokun, a former political aide to ex-President Obasanjo was announced as the new campaign helmsman in Abuja during a strategic meeting of the LP candidates and the National Working Committee of the party on Tuesday.
Osuntokun replaced former DG of the Obi-Datti Campaign Organisation, Okupe, who announced his resignation in a letter last Tuesday following a Federal High Court ruling in Abuja that convicted him of violating the Money Laundering Act.
However, Osuntokun is listed as the ZLP candidate for Ekiti central senatorial district for the 2023 elections.
In a list containing the names of 2023 election candidates released by INEC, the newly appointed DG of the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council is listed as the ZLP candidate for Ekiti central senatorial district.
He is number 392 on the list.
Reacting to Osuntokun’s appointment, the suspended National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Abayomi Arabambi, in a statement made available to SaharaReporters on Wednesday, opposed Prof Osuntokun’s appointment, citing his membership of ZLP.
Arabambi asked Osuntokun to resign, saying, “I am therefore calling on Prof Akin Osuntokun to resign as the DG Labour Party campaign organisation with immediate effect or face court action within the next five days.”
