(AFRICAN EXAMINER) Nigerian actor and former spokesperson for the Labour party, Kenneth Okonkwo, has accused Peter Obi, the partys 2023 presidential candidate, of betrayal and terrible leadership in the ongoing internal rift in the party.
Okonkwo made this revelation during an interview with Symfoni TV as he criticised Obi, alleging that the former Anambra State governor aligned with the faction of the party led by Julius Abure, which he alleged has a connection with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). According to him, Obi ignored repeated pleas to distance himself from Abures camp, a decision he alleged has deepened the division within the party.
The problem is that Peter Obi refused to manage the party, Okonkwo said. He chose to align with the very people who are allegedly hobnobbing with the APC. When people advised him to separate himself from that faction, he paid deaf ears.
The actor-turned-politician also accused Obi of distancing himself from loyal party members by endorsing candidates from other political parties in recent elections. He described Obi as a politician of convenience, not conviction, alleging that Obi lacks the qualities of a team player and effective leader.
When we started in 2023, it was an organic movement. Every Nigerian wanted change. I joined of my own accord, and when I was appointed spokesperson, I gave it my all, Okonkwo stated. We believe we won the election. But instead of consolidating for 2027, Obi has failed to even start with his own party.
Okonkwo, who dumped the LP in July 2024, refuted the claim that his departure constituted a betrayal of Obi; rather, he insisted that he was the one who was betrayed.
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, he said.
He also alleged that Obi lacks the wherewithal to convert electoral support into a secure mandate.
He has proved that even if the people vote for him, he doesnt have what it takes to secure the mandate, he added.
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