Former spokesperson of the Peter Obi/Yusuff Datti Campaign Organisation, Kenneth Okonkwo has severed political ties with his Principal, Peter Obi, citing what could be reckoned as the incompetence of the 2023 Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) as reason for the decision.
Okonkwo, a lawyer and veteran Nollywood artiste was among the legal team assembled by Peter Obi and Labour Party in the failed bid to nullify the election of Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal and the Supreme Court.
In a latest post shared on his X handle, Okonkwo stated that he could no longer give full loyalty and commitment to Obi’s political ambition following observed lack of capacity in Obi to build a cohesive and formidable opposition political party.
The ex – aide also noted that even if Obi was given any mandate in future, Obi still lacks the capacity to secure a mandate, lamenting that the initial optimism about the former Governor of Anambra State following the 2023 elections, appeared to have dissolved due to his inability to provide the much needed leadership and direction to the crisis – ridden Labour Party.
Okonkwo also flayed Obi for not taking decisive action to address the party’s issues, including the failure to organise an all-inclusive convention and the unwillingness to distance himself from the alleged NWC’s “shenanigans and activities,” submitting that he couldn’t continue with someone unable to take a stand on important issues at a crucial time.
“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 but to no avail.
“PO 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.
“This didn’t happen, and surprisingly, PO refused to disassociate himself from the shenanigans and criminal activities of the former NWC as their time had expired.
“Every member of the Labour Party is confused today as to the future of the Labour Party because of lack of leadership from PO 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.
“Many Nigerians, including myself, had ‘high hopes’ for Obi. He just needed to give the right directives and everyone would fall in line. I received 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.
“However, the consequence is that I no longer have the confidence that Peter Obi 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,” Okonkwo said.
