Doyin Okupe, a former presidential adviser, has resigned from his position as Peter Obi’s running mate in the Labour Party (LP) presidential primary.
On Thursday, Mr. Okupe announced on Twitter that he had submitted his letter of withdrawal to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and advised Nigerians to watch for his party’s choice of a replacement.
“This afternoon I submitted my withdrawal letter from the position of the Vice Presidential candidate of the Labour Party to INEC. 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 Labour Party,” he announced.
The LP provided the name of the former media assistant to President Olusegun Obasanjo to fulfill the deadline of June 17 set by the INEC.
Two days after the alliance negotiations with the Rabiu Kwankwaso-led NNPP broke down, he withdrew.
“Those discussions about merger, alliance, and all that—was led by me from our side, and it is dead,” Mr. Okupe announced on Tuesday.
After officially announcing his retirement, the LP is anticipated to name Mr. Obi’s actual vice presidential candidate by Friday.
The Northern Nigerian Yusuf Baba-Ahmed has been mentioned as one of the candidates under consideration for the job.
He is the founder of Baze University Abuja and an economist.
