To beat the deadline of June 17th deadline set by the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC), the Labour Party of Nigeria has announced Doyin Okupe as the running mate of Peter Obi in a placeholder capacity.
The development means that Okupe is temporarily standing in for the position to enable the party figure out the appropriate choice of Obi’s running mate
Okupe who is former presidential spokesperson on Friday said he is ‘standing in’ as the running mate to Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi.
Okupe made the announcement on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
He said his name has been submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Obi’s form.
“Choosing the vice presidential candidate is an electoral process and it does not stop until the process and schedule ends,” Okupe said.
Like the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu, Okupe said he might be replaced later.
“INEC allows you to present a candidate and later on, if you want to substitute, you may do so, if necessary. But if it’s not necessary, you may as well continue.
“So the present situation is that we believe that this Labour party government that is essentially going to be about young Nigerians.
“Those of us who have been part and parcel of our sordid past must be prepared to pay the sacrifice, even the personal sacrifice, of allowing a situation we can lift our youths to positions of power and authority.
“I am willing to put down my back, so that young people can stand and come to the top.”
SDP Submits name
Meanwhile, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has named Nafisa Mohammed Bolori as running mate to Prince Adewole Adebayo its presidential candidate.
Bolori a legal practitioner like the Presidential candidate in an indegene of Borno State, Northeastern Nigeria.
A tweet by renowned rights activist, Segun Awosanya, confirmed this development.
He wrote, “Breaking: So the SDP Flag Bearer Prince @Pres_Adebayo picks Nafisa Mohammed Bolori: a lawyer from Borno State as Vice President (substantive).
VPs can withdraw they can be replaced within the time permissible by the Electoral Act but placeholder is unconstitutional, null/void.”
