Okupe withdraws as LP VP candidate as Peter Obi gets set to unveil running mate

DOYIN Okupe has formally withdrawn as the running mate of Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi.

Okupe, a former presidential spokesman, disclosed that he has submitted his withdrawal letter as the LP vice presidential candidate via his Twitter handle on Thursday.

“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 LP,” he said.

According to the Electoral Act, the nominated candidate is mandated to write a letter to the political party that nominated him, indicating that he has withdrawn from the race and that must also be accompanied by an affidavit duly sworn to by the said candidate.

Obi had on June 16 returned his completed nomination forms to INEC with Okupe’s name included as his placeholder running mate.

This was done in compliance with the Electoral Law 2022 and INEC guidelines regarding the June 17 deadline for the submission of the names of political party candidates for elective positions, including their running mates.

The Electoral Act stated that a political party cannot substitute a candidate that has been validly nominated except in two instances – if the nominated candidate dies or if the nominated candidate withdraws from the race.

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Shortly after Okupe announced that he has withdrawn as the LP vice presidential candidate, there were unconfirmed reports that Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed has been selected as Obi’s running mate.

Baba-Ahmed is a Nigerian economist and politician. He was a Senator and founder of Baze University Abuja and Baba-Ahmed University Kano.

Although the Baba-Ahmed’s selection as Obi’s running mate is yet to be confirmed, there were reports that he will be unveiled as the LP VP candidate on Friday.

Following the reports, Baba-Ahmed has been trending on the social media, particularly on Twitter.

As at the time of filing this report at 7:35 pm he was trending on Twitter Nigeria trends with over 11,000 tweets.

Author profile

Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M