Veteran Nollywood actor and former spokesperson of the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council, Kenneth Okonkwo, has opened up on why he resigned from the Labour Party (LP), accusing Peter Obi of betrayal and political inconsistency.
Speaking in an interview with Symfoni TV, Okonkwo said he could no longer remain in a party that lacked internal democracy and operated without principles. He alleged that Peter Obi, the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, knowingly worked with factions of the Labour Party whose emergence he initially condemned.
“Obi is not being betrayed. Obi is betraying himself. He is committing political suicide,” Okonkwo declared.
Okonkwo recounted that after the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) was rejected by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), a caretaker committee was put in place, which Obi initially supported. However, when the faction led by Lamidi Apapa won in court, Obi allegedly began to associate with that group, abandoning the caretaker committee he had endorsed.
WATCH FULL VIDEO ON SYMFONI TV
“Even when Obi asked them not to go to court, and they did, he still worked with them after they won. That’s not leadership,” he said.
Okonkwo said he stood by the rule of law and described the court rulings that recognised the Apapa faction as flawed, arguing that courts have no jurisdiction over internal party affairs. Despite this, he said Peter Obi continued working with the Apapa camp, showing that he prioritized convenience over conviction.
“If the Supreme Court rules in their favour, I still won’t return to the party. I cannot work with people who have no principles,” Okonkwo insisted.
He revealed that Obi endorsed candidates from other political parties in various state elections, including Cross River, ignoring Labour Party candidates. According to him, this was a serious betrayal of party loyalty and discipline.
“When I was in PDP, I worked only with PDP members. Same when I was in APC and LP. But Obi endorsed outsiders. I never did that,” he said.
The actor-turned-politician also tackled Obi’s recent claims that he was being sabotaged by political opponents within the Labour Party. He insisted that Obi saw the internal rot but chose to stay for selfish reasons.
“If you know they are criminals, and you stay with them, then you are in cahoots. You can’t act clean in public and dirty in private,” he warned.
On the future of opposition politics, Okonkwo emphasized that only a united opposition coalition can defeat the ruling APC in 2027. He said individual parties like LP, PDP, and others were currently too weak to stand alone.
“If the coalition fails, then let them all endorse Tinubu. Nigerians shouldn’t suffer for unserious opposition,” he added.
ALSO TRENDING:
“Life is indeed fragile” — Tinubu Consoles Modi over Air India Crash
He criticized President Bola Tinubu’s administration as being “arrogantly disorderly and unconscionably wicked,” accusing it of neglecting security, prioritizing personal comfort over citizens’ welfare, and engaging in wasteful spending while Nigerians suffer.
Kenneth Okonkwo ended his statement by urging all opposition leaders to put aside personal interests and rally behind any candidate who emerges from a free and fair primary, regardless of tribe or region.
“This is not about North or South. This is about survival. Let’s unite and take Tinubu out, then rebuild Nigeria from there,” he concluded.
Comments 1