Doyin Okupe, former Director-General of the Peter Obi Presidential Campaign Organisation, has attributed the recent gale of defections from the Labour Party to the party’s inability to build a lasting structure after the 2023 elections.
Okupe, a former Labour Party chieftain, also commented on the future of Obi ahead of the elections coming in 2027.
He made the remarks in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday.
According to Okupe, the Labour Party’s failure to establish a strong foundation has left its members, especially those in the National Assembly, with uncertain futures.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that six lawmakers recently defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The defectors include Rep. Tochukwu Chinedu Okere (Imo), Rep. Donatus Matthew (Kaduna), Rep. Akiba Bassey (Cross River), and Rep. Esosa Iyawe (Edo).
Okupe noted that these defections were expected, as elected members would not remain in a party without a clear future.
“The Labour Party was one of those common parties that existed mainly for those who could not get tickets in the major parties to come and find expression.
“That is how we also got there. Our presence in the Labour Party then boosted the fortunes of the Labour Party.
“But what was important and which was essentially neglected by the leadership of the Labour Party and the presidential candidate was the political structure
”So those who are in the National Assembly, under the LP platform know that they are on their last card.
“Even if they cannot return, they need to use their opportunity right now to align with one or two of the major parties and become somebody.
“So, that is why you are seeing all this gale of deflections, and it’s not going to stop,” he said.
“Those who came on the wings of the popularity of the Obedient Movement know, for a fact, that they would not return because the circumstances are different.
“The situation has become different. What happened in the South West is not going to happen in 2027. I can assure you. It’s not going to happen.
“People want political success tomorrow but LP is not ready to build. They are not ready to build and are not ready to invest in structures, so people will leave” he said
Okupe suggested that Peter Obi might soon abandon the Labour Party, citing his recent meetings with opposition leaders, including the 2023 candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar. Okupe said that Obi’s options are open, and his followers in the Labour Party are not oblivious to this fact.
“Obi was with Atiku Abubakar in Adamawa, recently. So, what does that tell you? That tells you that all options are open. The followers in the Labour Party are not blind,” he said.
