“Tinubu, Obi, Atiku should step aside” – Ex-LP chieftain Kenneth Okonkwo

• Kenneth Okonkwo, a former Labour Party member, has urged Presidents Tinubu, Obi, and Abubakar to abstain from the 2027 presidential race.

• Nollywood actor-turned-politician worked as a spokesman for the LP presidential campaign team in the 2023 general election, alongside Obi, who flew the party’s flag.

• Okonkwo has retracted his support for Obi, requesting Atiku and Tinubu to step aside for other candidates in Nigeria’s upcoming elections after two years.

Kenneth Okonkwo, a former member of the Labour Party (LP), has called upon President Bola Tinubu, Peter Obi, and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to withdraw from the race for the presidential position in the upcoming 2027 election.

According to Gistlover, Okonkwo, who transitioned from a Nollywood actor to a politician, previously served as the spokesperson for the LP’s presidential campaign team during the 2023 general elections, collaborating closely with Obi, who represented the party in that election.

However, after a two-year period, Okonkwo has retracted his support for Obi, urging the LP leader, Atiku, and Tinubu to allow other candidates the opportunity to compete in Nigeria’s forthcoming elections.

He expressed these views during an appearance on Politics Today, a program aired on Channels Television.

When asked if he still believes the trio should step aside for new candidates in the next general election, he affirmed, “I said it and I maintain it because in Nigeria, people will not give you their mandate and you treat it with levity.

“You must do everything decisively to secure it. Unfortunately, nature has bestowed on us the duty that in Nigeria, you will not only win an election, but you have to fight for your mandate.”

He further emphasized that despite his collaboration with Obi during the 2023 election, that chapter is now closed.

He asserted that events from 2023 should remain in the past, indicating that he will not support the former governor of Anambra State in the next general elections in Nigeria.

Gistlover notes that Okonkwo officially resigned from the Labour Party on Tuesday, stating that his resignation will take effect on February 25, 2025.

He attributed his departure to internal conflicts within the Labour Party, asserting that his resignation was based on principled grounds.

The former member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has ruled out any possibility of returning to the ruling party, citing its failure to adequately address the nation’s pressing issues.

“I resigned [to leave APC] on principle,” Okonkwo insisted but gave only one condition to return to the party.

“Let me tell you, I will be the first person to admit if the APC changes today and is doing well for Nigeria,” he said.