I have withdrawn as Labour Party’s VP candidate, says Doyin Okupe

Doyin Okupe, a former senior special assistant on public affairs to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, has announced his withdrawal as the vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP).

In a tweet on Thursday, Okupe said a letter of his withdrawal has been sent to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

In June, Okupe was named as the running mate of Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of LP for the 2023 election.

His candidacy was announced on June 17 — the deadline issued by the electoral umpire for parties to submit the list of their candidates for the 2023 general poll.

Okupe had said he is “standing in” as the LP vice-presidential candidate to enable the party to form the “largest political coalition” to challenge the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“We need to be able to put together this coalition and the so-called third force is now alive, and it is forming, and it is important for us to ensure that all the stakeholders are carried along from the beginning to the end,” he had said.

“So, because of this, I, Dr. Doyin Okupe, am standing in as the vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party.”

Okupe had also said discussions involved the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), but on Tuesday, he had announced that the talks on an alliance between LP and the NNPP are “dead”.

In the post on his social media handles on Thursday, Okupe said a replacement will be announced by the party’s national chairman soon.

“This afternoon, I submitted my withdrawal letter from the position of the Vice Presidential candidate of the Labour Party to INEC,” the post reads.

“A replacement will be announced by [the] national chairman of [the] party shortly. I feel greatly blessed to have been part of the foundation of success for the LP.”