Former Labour Party presidential campaign spokesperson, Kenneth Okonkwo, has explained that his decision not to follow Peter Obi into his current political direction was based on the circumstances under which he initially supported him.
Okonkwo said his support for Obi during the 2023 presidential election was tied to the former Anambra State governor’s candidacy under the Labour Party and did not amount to an obligation to remain with him regardless of subsequent political developments.
“I campaigned for him as a member of Labour Party and as the presidential candidate of Labour Party. There was no agreement I should follow him wherever he’s going to because if he’s going to fall into a pit, I do not have any contract to fall into the pit with him,” he said.
He said political alliances and circumstances could change, arguing that individuals should reassess their positions when the conditions surrounding a political relationship are no longer the same.
According to Okonkwo, his view of Obi has changed because the political platform, information available to him and circumstances surrounding the former governor are different from those that existed when he campaigned for him in 2023.
“So what the person you’re seeing now is completely different from the person I campaigned for, different platform from the information that I have heard, different human being,” he said.
Obi contested the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the Labour Party before later leaving the party for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC). He had also been associated with the opposition coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Okonkwo, who is now a chieftain and spokesperson for the ADC presidential campaign, has criticised Obi’s decision to leave the coalition and pursue his 2027 presidential ambition on the NDC platform.
