Atiku suffers setback as Kenneth Okonkwo withdraws support, gives reason

Former actor and politician, Kenneth Okonkwo, has withdrawn his support for the presidency bid of ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar due to what he termed the continuous marginalization of the South East geo-political zone in the politics of the nation.

This follows the increasing conversations in the Nigerian political space on who will be part of the presidential list of Atiku Abubakar and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 general election.

The ex-spokesman of the Presidential Campaign Council of the Labour Party in the 2023 general election made this known on his X account on Monday just after it became known that former governor of Rivers State, Amaechi, would be Atiku’s running mate before the 2027 presidential election.

This is coming as a major blow for the opposition bloc of parties in their attempt to defeat the administration of President Bola Tinubu in the next round of general elections because Okonkwo was among the leading voices for building an opposition bloc against the APC-led government.

Reacting to the reports on the selection, Okonkwo said he was upset that the South East had allegedly not been considered yet again despite all their complaints about political marginalization

“I heard from the social media that ADC has picked its vice presidential candidate from the South-South. If this is true, it is unfortunate, as this will continue the crude marginalisation of the South-East,” he wrote.

According to him, the South-East remains the only geopolitical zone that has not produced either a president or vice president since Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999.

“This Geo-Political Zone has neither produced a President or Vice President since 1999. To deny the South-East the opportunity to produce the President or Vice President in ADC in 2027 will amount to perpetuating the marginalisation,” he stated.

Okonkwo also referenced the origins of the ADC, noting that the party was founded in 2005 by Ralphs Nwosu, an indigene of the South-East, and argued that recent sacrifices made by leaders from the region to support the coalition should not result in further political exclusion.

“The ADC was founded by Ralphs Nwosu from the South-East in 2005. He made the sacrifice to give up the party in 2025 for the coalition to usher in a better Nigeria. He couldn’t have made that sacrifice to marginalise his own people,” he said.

The former Labour Party chieftain further revealed that he had supported Atiku on the understanding that the former vice president would demonstrate a commitment to the political inclusion of the South-East.

“The only favour I asked Atiku Abubakar, who openly declared that he is the pathway to the presidency of the South-East, is to show it by choosing someone from the South-East to be his Vice,” Okonkwo stated.

He added that if reports of Amaechi’s emergence are eventually confirmed, he would no longer be willing to campaign for the ADC presidential ticket.

“If it is confirmed that he has chosen a candidate from the South-South, I wish him well. I am not favourably disposed to campaigning for any presidential ticket that does not have a person of South-East origin as President or Vice in 2027,” he declared.

Okonkwo maintained that his involvement in politics has always been guided by principles of fairness, equity and national inclusion, stressing that he could not support any political arrangement that further sidelines the South-East.

“I joined politics to fight for a better Nigeria where no region, geo-political zone, or person will be marginalised,” he said.