Kenneth Okonkwo, a former member of the Labour Party (LP), has called on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and President Bola Tinubu to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race.
According to reports, the Nollywood actor-turned-politician previously served as a spokesperson for the LP presidential campaign team during the general election in 2023, assisting Obi in flying the party’s flag during that poll.
Two years later, Okonkwo has retracted his support for Obi and asked Tinubu, Atiku, and the leader of the LP to make way for other contenders in Nigeria’s upcoming election cycle.
He made this statement on Channels Television’s Politics Today program.
When asked if he still wanted the three to make room for other contenders in the upcoming general election, he responded, “I said it and I maintain it because in Nigeria, people will not give you their mandate and you treat it with levity.
“You must do everything decisively to secure it. Unfortunately, nature has bestowed on us the duty that in Nigeria, you will not only win an election, but you have to fight for your mandate.”
He added that even though he collaborated with Obi during the 2023 election, that is already history.
He refused to support the former governor of Anambra State in the upcoming Nigerian general election, saying that whatever happened in 2023 should remain in 2023.
Recalls that Okonkwo formally resigned from the party on Tuesday, stating that his departure would begin on February 25, 2025.
He said he quit on principle and gave the Labour Party’s internal ramblings as the cause for his departure.
The former All Progressives Congress (APC) member denied ever joining the ruling party again.
Additionally, he charged that the ruling party was ignoring the problems facing the nation.
“I resigned [to leave APC] on principle,” Okonkwo insisted but gave only one condition to return to the party.
“Let me tell you, I will be the first person to admit if the APC changes today and is doing well for Nigeria,” he said.
