The Labour Party (LP) has openly criticized its 2023 Presidential Campaign Director-General, Doyin Okupe, branding his political journey as “political harlotry” after his resignation on Monday.
The party’s spokesman, Obiora Ifoh, expressed disappointment over Okupe’s departure, accusing him of demeaning the party that garnered significant public support in the 2023 elections.
Ifoh pointed out that Okupe’s departure wouldn’t have sparked such a response if he had left quietly, but his public criticism of the party as a “Special Purpose Vehicle” was considered a deliberate attempt to tarnish its image.
The spokesman emphasized that while individuals have the right to join any political party, Okupe’s ideological misalignment with the LP was evident from the beginning.
He questioned Okupe’s political motives, describing his seamless transitions between different parties, including PDP and APC, and suggested that Okupe might return to either of them based on convenience. Ifoh emphasized that the Labour Party, rooted in left-of-center ideology, doesn’t accommodate political opportunists, and its system naturally exposes and ejects such characters.
Highlighting the LP’s commitment to equal opportunity and social justice, Ifoh asserted that Okupe’s departure was not surprising, especially considering his truncated role during the 2023 electoral campaign.
He concluded by posing a hypothetical scenario, questioning whether Okupe would have remained with the party had it been declared the winner of the presidential election.
In summary, the Labour Party’s response to Okupe’s resignation reflects its commitment to ideological principles and its rejection of individuals deemed as political opportunists.
