A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kenneth Okonkwo, has said the exit of Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, from the party left the South-East disadvantaged and politically confused during the process that produced former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, as the ADC’s vice-presidential candidate.
Okonkwo made the remarks on Thursday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Morning Brief, while responding to questions over Amaechi’s emergence as the party’s running mate and why the former minister is yet to publicly acknowledge the nomination on his social media platforms.
He also addressed criticism over his apparent change of position after accepting the role of spokesperson for the Atiku Abubakar campaign, despite previously expressing reservations that the party had not selected a vice-presidential candidate from the South-East.
According to Okonkwo, a South-East aspirant had initially participated in the ADC presidential primary but withdrew before the process was concluded, leaving the region at a disadvantage.
He said Obi’s departure further complicated the situation by creating a vacancy that could not easily be filled because the Electoral Act requires a running mate to have been a registered member of a political party for at least 21 days before its primary election.
“The person that represented the South-East in that calculation left unceremoniously before the conclusion of the process. That left the South-East disadvantaged and confused. Immediately Peter Obi exited, it was as if that position that would have been given to the South-East became vacant,” he said.
Okonkwo noted that several prominent South-East figures, including Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe and former Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, were considered but were ineligible because they were not members of the ADC.
“Some beautiful names were dropped. You talked about Abaribe, you talked about Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and some other respected names, but they were no longer members of the ADC. That was why Atiku still went to the nearest person who is closest to the South-East,” he said.
Clarifying his earlier comments, Okonkwo said he never opposed Amaechi’s nomination or mentioned him by name, stressing that the former Rivers governor is of Igbo extraction.
He explained that his concern was centred on geopolitical balancing, noting that the South-East has not produced either a president or vice president since the return to democratic rule in 1999.
Okonkwo added that he was satisfied after the party explained the reasons behind Amaechi’s selection, saying internal consultations were continuing to address any remaining concerns.
“We are now one big and happy family. ADC is going to form the next government of Nigeria, and Atiku will be the next President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by the grace of God,” he said.
