Ex-Obi campaign chief, Doyin Okupe dumps Labour Party on ideological differences

Doyin Okupe, the former director-general of the Peter Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Organisation, has resigned from the Labour Party.

In a letter shared with journalists on Monday, Okupe cited his lifelong association with right-wing and liberal democratic ideologies as a key reason for his departure, claiming a mismatch with the Labour Party’s left-of-center position.

“It makes it exceedingly difficult for me to continue to stay in the Labour Party which is ideologically rooted in the left of the center,” Okupe stated in his resignation letter. “I have been a rightist and a Liberal Democrat all my entire life. It is therefore this ideological conflict that makes me seek an exit so that I may continue my political activities with liberalism, sincerity and freedom.”

His letter expressed gratitude to the party leadership for their support during the 2023 presidential election campaign, acknowledging the Labour Party as a “veritable platform” for contesting the polls.

In December 2022, Okupe, a former presidential aide, was convicted of money laundering and sentenced to two years imprisonment (later commuted to a fine). He subsequently resigned from the Obi-Datti campaign but remained a member of the Labour Party.