A former Director-General of the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential campaign, Doyin Okupe, has declared that he would never support the 2023 presidential candidate of the party, Peter Obi, in any of his political ambitions again.
Okupe, who had recently resigned his membership of the LP and withdrew his backing for the former LP’s presidential flagbearer, expressed displeasure at Obi’s remarks on economic situation in the country.
Specifically, Okupe, while featuring on a national television programme, responded to some remarks credited to Obi on the hardship ravaging the nation.
Obi had been reported to have critisised the administration of President Bola Tinubu, suggesting that people from the South-West are feeling the heat of the hard times just like other citizens from other parts of the country.
For Obi, Tinubu had campaigned on the mantra that he is a Yoruba man and that it was his turn, stating that people in Yoruba land are not even getting food items and other essential commodities at cheaper rates notwithstanding that the President is from their region.
However, Obi’s submissions had attracted mixed reactions on social media with some criticising him while others supported his assertions.
Weighing in on the raging controversy, Okupe joined the critics, describing Obi’s remark as an “insult” to people in the South-West.
He argued that Obi’s statement publicly belittled the South-West, despite receiving support from prominent Yoruba leaders and other residents of the zone during his presidential electioneering ambition.
Okupe claimed that people from the South West felt insulted hearing Obi uttered such remarks, noting that many, including himself, who supported him regretted it.
He mentioned former President Olusegun Obasanjo as one of the prominent Yoruba indigenes who backed Obi’s presidential bid, saying although he did not regret supporting Obi, he would never support him again.
Okupe attributed his initial support to the agreement that a southern president should emerge, specifically from the South-East, insisting the betrayal he felt by the criticism of the South-West by the former governor of Anambra State.