Kenneth Okonkwo, a former spokesperson and prominent figure in the Labour Party (LP), has accused Peter Obi, the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, of betrayal and poor leadership amid escalating internal crises.
In an interview with Symfoni TV, Okonkwo criticized Obi for aligning with the faction of the party led by Julius Abure, which he alleged has ties to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). According to him, Obi ignored repeated appeals to distance himself from Abure’s camp — a move he claims has further deepened divisions 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 alienating loyal party members by endorsing candidates from other political parties during recent elections. He described Obi as a “politician of convenience, not conviction,” alleging that the former Anambra governor lacks the qualities of a team player and an 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 officially left the LP in July 2024, rejected suggestions that his exit amounted to a betrayal of Obi. Instead, he insisted that he had been the one 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 further claimed that Obi lacks the capacity to convert popular support into an actual mandate.
“He has proved that even if the people vote for him, he doesn’t have what it takes to secure the mandate,” he added.
Notably, just a month before his departure, Okonkwo had described the Labour Party as “a secret society led by a group of clowns,” expressing his disillusionment with the party’s internal structure and strategic direction.
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