Veteran Nollywood actor and former Labour Party (LP) chieftain, Kenneth Okonkwo, has accused 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi of betrayal and political miscalculation, saying the ex-Anambra governor has “committed political suicide.”
Speaking in a recent interview with Symfoni TV, Okonkwo criticised Obi for failing to properly manage the post-election leadership crisis within the Labour Party. He alleged that Obi aligned himself with the faction led by Julius Abure, a group Okonkwo claims has been “hobnobbing” with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The former LP spokesperson expressed disappointment that Obi “repeatedly ignored calls to distance himself from Abure’s faction,” further describing Obi as someone who lacks the qualities of a team player and effective leader.
“When we started in 2023, it was an organic movement. Every Nigerian wanted change. Every Nigerian was dissatisfied with the way things were going. So, we felt that something new was appearing on the horizon,” Okonkwo recounted.
“And because I am a man focused on the security and welfare of Nigerians, not a politician loyal to any political party, I was committed to the movement. Nobody drafted me into it.”
“I followed the movement on my own accord. So, when I was chosen to be a spokesperson, I honoured it. Everybody knew what I did and the contributions I made.”
Reflecting on the aftermath of the 2023 general election, Okonkwo lamented what he described as missed opportunities and lack of foresight by Obi.
“We did what we did, and we believe we won the election. What happened after that? If you are a brilliant politician, what you should do is to start preparing and consolidating for 2027, and the first platform you begin with is your party,” he said.
In a scathing critique of Obi’s political style, Okonkwo declared:
“Obi is a politician of convenience, not a politician of conviction. Nobody is murdering his political career. Obi is committing political suicide. And I mean it.”
Addressing insinuations that he betrayed the former presidential candidate by exiting the Labour Party, Okonkwo defended his decision and turned the accusation around:
“Any politician who knows what he is doing cannot be betrayed by anybody. If there is anybody who betrayed the other, I can say it emphatically that Peter Obi betrayed me.”
Okonkwo’s comments add to the growing public scrutiny of internal conflicts within the Labour Party and raise questions about the party’s future heading into the 2027 general elections.
