Okonkwo defected to LP on August 24, 2022, one month after resigning from the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the party’s Muslim-Muslim ticket presidential ticket.
A former spokesman for the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, Kenneth Okonkwo, says he has ended his political association with the party and its candidate in the 2023 presidential election, Peter Obi.
Okonkwo defected to LP on August 24, 2022, one month after resigning from the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the party’s Muslim-Muslim ticket presidential ticket.
The 55-year-old, at the time, said he joined LP to promote good governance and a new Nigeria.
In a statement titled ‘Political Journey to a Great Nigeria,’ which he shared on his X (formerly Twitter) account, Okonkwo cited his disappointment with the party’s internal crisis and the failure of Obi to address it.
According to him, it is expected for a presidential candidate to be willing to fight and ensure he is sworn in as president and not watch while his victory is taken away from him.
He emphasised that the president “must be willing to be in the forefront of such endeavour,” and not allow his followers to lead.
“Nigerians, including me, had high hopes for the Labour Party. I believed that Peter Obi will seize the momentum and build a solid party of integrity that will have the solid base that we need to overthrow these kakistocrats and kleptocrats. He just needed to give the right directives and everyone would fall in line
“My first shock when he publicly declared that he didn’t promise Nigerians to build a strong Labour Party, but to solve Nigeria’s problems.
“I was like, does it mean Peter Obi is not aware that without a solid party base, we are heading to nowhere politically? However, I continued in his defence believing he will still privately bring the needed solution to LP problems. to no avail.”
He also pointed out that Peter Obi “also publicly demanded that the Abure-led National Working Committee must organise an all inclusive convention that will guarantee the participation of all members of the Labour Party in the choice of their leaders.
“Every member of the Labour Party is confused today as to the future of the Labour Party because of the lack of leadership from PO (Peter Obi) over the party, and unfortunately, when they look up to me to tell them about PO’s standpoint, I sincerely have nothing to tell them because I don’t know myself.
“I cannot continue to speak on behalf of a leader that I do not know his stand on issues of great importance. I simply don’t know how to manipulate facts.
“Consequence is that I no longer have the confidence that PO has what it takes to build a party that can win these kakistocrats and kleptocrats, and above all, he has proved that even if the people vote for him, he doesn’t have what it takes to secure the mandate.
“I don’t intend to embark on such a campaign as we did in 2023, projecting a person who cannot sustain the victory even if he wins.
“It’s in this regard that I have decided to continue my political journey into the great Nigeria of our vision without Peter Obi.
“I am always 100% loyal to a leader whenever I am working or following the leader. At any time I have doubts within me that I can no longer offer 100% loyalty to him, I will respectfully let everyone know.
“When I joined his campaign, I made it public. Now that I cannot guarantee my support for his future political aspirations, I believe I owe it to everyone to let everyone know.”
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