Kenneth Okonkwo, a former chieftain of the Labour Party
(LP), has accused Peter Obi, the party’s standard-bearer in 2023, of betraying
him.
In an interview with Symfoni TV, Okonkwo said Obi failed to
manage the leadership crisis that has rocked the party since the 2023 election.
He claimed that Obi aligned with the Julius Abure-led
faction of the party, which is allegedly hobnobbing with the All Progressives
Congress (APC).
Okonkwo said Obi repeatedly ignored calls to distance himself from Abure’s faction.
The former LP spokesperson also faulted Obi’s leadership
style, saying the ex-Anambra governor lacks the traits of a team player and an
effective manager.
He pointed to instances where Obi reportedly endorsed non-LP
candidates during elections, alienating loyal party members.
“When we started in 2023, it was an organic movement. Every
Nigerian wanted change. Every Nigerian was dissatisfied with the way things
were going. So, we felt that something new was appearing on the horizon,” he
said.
“And because I am a man focused on the security and welfare
of Nigerians, not a politician loyal to any political party, I was committed to
the movement. Nobody drafted me into it.
“I followed the movement on my own accord. So, when I was
chosen to be a spokesperson, I honoured it. Everybody knew what I did and the
contributions I made.
“We did what we did, and we believe we won the election.
What happened after that? If you are a brilliant politician, what you should do
is to start preparing and consolidating for 2027, and the first platform you
begin with is your party.”
He claimed that Obi is “a politician of convenience, not a
politician of conviction”.
“Nobody is murdering Obi’s political career. Obi is
committing political suicide. And I mean it,” he added.
Okonkwo dismissed claims that he betrayed Obi by leaving the
LP.
“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.
Okonkwo left the LP in July 2024 after saying he no longer
has confidence in Obi’s ability to build a party that can win elections.
He said Obi has “proved that even if the people vote for
him, he doesn’t have what it takes to secure the mandate”.
A month before he left the party, Okonkwo described the LP
as “a secret society led by a group of clowns”.
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