Balami Disassociates Self from Alleged Replacement of Okupe

Emameh Gabriel in Abuja

The National Deputy Campaign Manager, Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign, David Balami, has dismissed rumour of plans by Labour Party to appoint him the party’s campaign Director General.

This followed media reports yesterday alleging that the former Arewa Youth President was set to replace Dr Doyin Okupe as Director General of Labour Party campaign council following his conviction for money laundering by a Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday.

In a statement by his Media and Publicity Aide, Olusegun Dosunmu, Balami condemned the  publication with caption ‘Labour Party May Announce Isaac Balami as Okupe’s Replacement’, which has now gone viral, as fallacious, baseless and false.

The statement read in part: “The General and other publics may wish to take note and disregard a false publication with the title: “Labour Party May Announce Isaac Balami as Okupe’s Replacement. My attention has been drawn to a fallacious and very disturbing news with the caption above making the rounds, especially, on social media.

“I wish to hereby address the report with the above heading as completely false and baseless. It is a deliberate falsehood against my person and office in the present political dispensation, calculated to serve the selfish and dastardly intentions of certain remote persons aiming to distract and derail the cohesion responsible for the unending successes of the Labour Party’s campaigns across Nigeria.

“This allegation, a false representation of my personality is not only spurious but malicious. A calculated attempt to pitch me and my office against my superiors and my fellow hardworking campaign council members, whom I have always had the utmost regard and love for.

“This news is a piece from mischief makers, who think they can derail our great Labour Party and also diminish the influence of the next President of Nigeria, His Excellency, Mr Peter Obi by attacking the unity of purpose of his campaign team working hard to make Nigeria great again.

“I must therefore and hereby, unequivocally reiterate that I am not interested in the office of the Director General of the Obi/Datti Presidential campaign. 

“I am only here to serve only in the role assigned to me by my superiors, of whom our DG, Dr. Doyin Okupe, is foremost even as a father and a guiding light: one whose experience has been a light to my feet and a beacon of direction to me.

“This statement must, therefore, lay to rest the fabricated lies and insinuations that have thus fallen short being weak and untimely: our strong family bond in Labour Party will only grow stronger and more intentional – our focus on victory will never shift!”