Dr. Doyin Okupe, the Director-General of the Labour Party’s presidential campaign for the 2023 election, has publicly severed ties with the party’s candidate, Peter Obi. Okupe accused Obi of betraying the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to pursue his presidential ambitions.

Okupe, in a video that has gone viral on social media, expressed his displeasure with Obi’s decision to contest against Atiku, who, he claimed, brought Obi into national politics. He dismissed allegations that he betrayed Obi, stating that his decision to withdraw support for Obi stemmed from a lack of interest in continuing their political collaboration.

“They said I betrayed Obi. No. How can I betray him? I started politics in 1978. Obi was nowhere else. My life and political destiny cannot be tied to Obi’s ambition. I wish Obi well, but I am done with him. We wanted to achieve something, but we couldn’t achieve it,” Okupe declared.

Okupe elaborated on the circumstances surrounding Obi’s departure from the PDP, pointing out that Obi had been Atiku’s running mate in the 2019 presidential election. He claimed Obi’s 2023 presidential bid was a direct challenge to Atiku, an act he considered a greater betrayal than his own disassociation from Obi.

“Obi was the vice-presidential candidate of Atiku Abubakar in 2019. He brought him to the national spotlight. Because of his ambition, which was correct and due, Obi left the party and contested against Atiku. If people said I betrayed Obi, what did Obi do to Atiku? It is not fair,” Okupe remarked.

Okupe noted that his support for Obi was largely influenced by Pa Ayo Adebanjo, a prominent leader of the Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere. Adebanjo, according to Okupe, was against the idea of another northerner succeeding President Muhammadu Buhari and advocated for a southern president in 2023. Okupe revealed that the decision to back a candidate from the South-East, particularly Obi, was based on principles of fairness and equity.

Recalling his discussions with Adebanjo, Okupe said, “Baba Adebanjo called me and said he heard that I wanted to contest for the presidential election, and I said yes. Baba said I was a troublemaker. I told Baba that he didn’t know what was happening in our party. “PDP wanted a northerner to replace Buhari; that didn’t make sense to me. It made a mockery of our federalism and unity as a nation. It undermined my essence as a human being.

“Baba asked which section of the South should be considered if the presidency was zoned to the region. I told Baba that it was only the South-East that had not produced a president. “Baba said we should support the South-East for the presidency, and I agreed. We reviewed the presidential candidates from that region, and we concluded on supporting Obi. That was what happened.”

Okupe recounted his initial steps in supporting Obi, highlighting that he had publicly declared his withdrawal from the presidential race and endorsed Obi even before meeting him. He detailed the sequence of events leading to his appointment as the Director-General of Obi’s campaign. “I went to the Press Centre in Abeokuta to declare that I was withdrawing from the race, and that I would support Peter Obi. By that time, I hadn’t met Obi. I haven’t discussed or seen him. I only knew he wanted to be president.

“Five days later, Obi called me on the phone and requested to see me. We met and discussed, and he made me the Director-General of his campaign. That was how the journey with Obi started. When it was clear to us that we couldn’t get the ticket from PDP, we decided to leave the party,” Okupe explained.

However, Okupe acknowledged the challenges faced by the Labour Party during the election, admitting that the party was inadequately prepared to contest a national election. He attributed Obi’s loss to the lack of a nationwide organizational structure and other logistical shortcomings.

“We ran a fantastic campaign; we did a lot of mobilization, but we had our flaws and shortcomings. The party was grossly and inadequately arranged to cover a national election. We didn’t have what it took. The structure that covered the entire country wasn’t there,” Okupe confessed.

In response to Okupe’s statements, the Chairman of the Labour Party in Osun State, Bello Adebayo, defended Obi’s actions, stating that Obi did not betray Atiku as he did not contest against him within the PDP. “Obi didn’t betray anybody; it is not correct to say he betrayed Atiku because he didn’t contest the PDP presidential ticket with him in PDP,” Adebayo asserted.

In the meantime, Okupe remains resolute in his stance, distancing himself from Obi and reaffirming his commitment to his own political path. Whether this will impact Obi’s future political ambitions or the Labour Party’s strategy in forthcoming elections remains to be seen.