Our Reporter
Okupe, who resigned from the Labour Party in January, stated that he and the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, never truly believed in the ideologies of the Labour Party.
Okupe explained that the Labour Party was merely a “special purpose vehicle” (SPV) for the presidential election, as they needed a platform to contest.
He admitted that neither he nor Obi had ever been affiliated with the Labour Party or operated on the left before.
However, they saw the LP as the most readily available platform to pursue their political ambitions.
“The LP for us — for Peter Obi and I — and those in the leadership of the movement… the party was a special purpose vehicle (SPV),” said Okupe.
He went on to express his belief that there are no fast and hard rules about ideologies, suggesting that they could have found a middle ground between the left and the right if they had won the election.
Okupe also emphasized that both he and Obi are not leftist individuals, but rather traders and businessmen who believe in free enterprise.
He further stated that his membership in the Labour Party ended the moment they lost the election.
The former presidential aide also criticized the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for presenting a northerner as its candidate in the buildup to the 2023 election, calling the decision “unreasonable.”
This revelation by Doyin Okupe has sent shockwaves through the Nigerian political landscape, as it sheds light on the motivations behind Peter Obi’s decision to join the Labour Party.
It also raises questions about the role of political ideologies in Nigerian politics and the extent to which politicians are willing to compromise their beliefs for the sake of political expediency.
The Nigerian political scene is no stranger to controversy and shifting alliances.
This latest news serves as a reminder of the complex and often unpredictable nature of politics in the country.
As the nation moves forward, it remains to be seen how this revelation will impact the Labour Party and its future prospects in Nigerian politics.
