A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kenneth Okonkwo, has claimed that any votes cast for the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in the 2027 general election would indirectly work in favour of President Bola Tinubu Okonkwo made the claim during an interview on Symfoni TV, where he……
A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kenneth Okonkwo, has claimed that any votes cast for the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in the 2027 general election would indirectly work in favour of President Bola Tinubu
Okonkwo made the claim during an interview on Symfoni TV, where he also stressed the need for opposition parties to unite under a single platform ahead of the next presidential election.
According to him, a fragmented opposition would only strengthen the chances of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate.
“The reason I said it is that either you’re working for Tinubu directly, in other words, you’re in APC, or you’re working for Tinubu indirectly because when you divide the votes of the coalition and the opposition, you’re still making Tinubu better placed to win,” he said.
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The former Labour Party spokesman also criticised Obi’s reported exit from ongoing coalition discussions within the ADC, alleging that the former Anambra State governor was unwilling to participate in internal party competition.
“Nobody forced Peter Obi to enter ADC. He entered on his own, and one week to the end of the closure of the time, he left and gave the reason.
“You can’t compete in a primary, and you want to be a politician. You want to be the president of a challenged country, and you’re running away from challenge,” Okonkwo said.
He further referenced a political conversation he claimed to have had with Senator Victor Umeh, representing Anambra South, suggesting that Nigeria’s South-East region stands a better chance of producing a president through strategic alliances with northern political blocs.
“When we were all entering ADC, Victor Umeh made it clear and spoke to me directly that the only chance the Igbo people have is to align with the North and for our brother Peter Obi to be a vice president,” he claimed.
Okonkwo said Umeh allegedly conveyed similar sentiments directly to Obi but described the former governor as resistant to such advice.
“I told him, ‘Have you told Obi?’ He said yes, but that Peter Obi is very stubborn. That if you tell him anything, he would not believe but would continue to try,” he added.
Reiterating his position on electoral strategy ahead of 2027, Okonkwo warned opposition supporters against vote fragmentation, insisting it could undermine their chances at the polls.
“Let me tell you the truth, in 2027, anybody voting any vote whatsoever to Peter Obi, you’re voting for Tinubu, and don’t say that I didn’t tell you,” he stated.