The Labour Party of Nigeria has announced Doyin Okupe as the running mate of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, ahead of the 2023 general election to beat the Friday, June 17, deadline given by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The move by Labour Party is to meet the statutory requirement and beat the deadline set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for political parties to submit the names of presidential candidates and their running mates.
This means that Okupe is placed on a placeholder capacity and is temporarily standing in for the position as the party finalizes the choice of Obi’s running mate.
He confirmed the development in an interview on Channels TV.
Asked if Obi met the INEC’s deadline for the submission of candidates, he answered in affirmative.
“As I am speaking with you, I am the vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party,” he said.
“My name has been submitted to INEC and that’s the situation as at today.”
He clarified that he was standing in as the running mate for Obi as discussions are still ongoing on getting the right person to be the substantive running mate to Obi.
“It’s important for us to ensure that all the stakeholders are carried along from the beginning to the end. Because of this, I, Dr. Doyin Okupe is standing as the vice-presidential candidate,” he added.
Until his appointment, Okupe was a key member of Obi’s presidential campaign organisation.
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