By Enitan Abdultawab
Actor-turned-politician Kenneth Okonkwo has withdrawn his support for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar following the emergence of former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi as the vice-presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 election.
Okonkwo announced his position in a statement posted on his X account on Monday, shortly after reports confirmed Amaechi’s selection as Atiku’s running mate.
The former Labour Party presidential campaign spokesman expressed disappointment over what he described as the continued exclusion of the South-East from Nigeria’s top political offices.
“I heard from the social media that ADC has picked its vice presidential candidate from the South-South. If this is true, it is unfortunate, as this will continue the crude marginalisation of the South-East,” he wrote.
Okonkwo argued that the region has remained sidelined in Nigeria’s power-sharing arrangement since the return of democratic rule in 1999.
“This Geo-Political Zone has neither produced a President or Vice President since 1999. To deny the South-East the opportunity to produce the President or Vice President in ADC in 2027 will amount to perpetuating the marginalisation,” he stated.
The politician also referenced the history of the ADC, noting that the party was founded by Ralphs Nwosu, an indigene of the South-East, and argued that recent political sacrifices made by leaders from the region should not result in further exclusion.
“The ADC was founded by Ralphs Nwosu from the South-East in 2005. He made the sacrifice to give up the party in 2025 for the coalition to usher in a better Nigeria. He couldn’t have made that sacrifice to marginalise his own people,” he said.
Okonkwo maintained that his political involvement has always been driven by the pursuit of fairness, equity and inclusion.
“I did not join politics to assist in the further marginalisation of my own people. I am of the opinion that if we made a sacrifice to give up the National Chairman and the President, it will amount to unpardonable injustice to deny us the Vice President in 2027,” he added.
According to him, he had previously urged Atiku to demonstrate his commitment to South-East inclusion through his choice of running mate.
“The only favour I asked Atiku Abubakar, who openly declared that he is the pathway to the presidency of the South-East, is to show it by choosing someone from the South-East to be his Vice,” he stated.
Okonkwo concluded by saying he would not support any presidential ticket that excludes the South-East from both the presidential and vice-presidential positions.
“If it is confirmed that he has chosen a candidate from the South-South, I wish him well. I am not favourably disposed to campaigning for any presidential ticket that does not have a person of South-East origin as President or Vice in 2027,” he said.
