Peter Obi’s Allies Slam Kenneth Okonkwo Over ‘Betrayal’ Comment
Kenneth Okonkwo and Peter Obi
Close allies of Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, have criticized veteran actor and former campaign spokesperson Kenneth Okonkwo over allegations of betrayal comment.
According to Naija News, Okonkwo, in a viral podcast interview released on Saturday, accused Obi of abandoning him after the 2023 elections and aligning with a faction of the Labour Party (LP) led by Julius Abure, despite repeated warnings.
In the podcast, Okonkwo stated, “Any politician who knows what he is doing cannot be betrayed by another. If there is anyone who betrayed the other, I can say emphatically that Peter Obi betrayed me.”
He claimed to have cautioned Obi against the Abure-led faction of the LP, citing a lack of internal democracy and alleged deceit regarding the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) recognition of the group.
Okonkwo alleged, “The Julius Abure-led LP members lied to Obi that the Independent National Electoral Commission had accepted them, and Obi surreptitiously went back to them. I told him, ‘Sir, even if INEC has accepted them, you should not return to a group that has proven to be undemocratic.’”
He further claimed that Obi publicly endorsed the faction just 72 hours after their conversation and that party insiders mocked him with video evidence of the endorsement.
Responding via 𝕏 (formerly Twitter), Nana Sani Kazaure, a former spokesperson for the Obi-Datti Campaign Team, dismissed Okonkwo’s claims and questioned his integrity.
She wrote, “Since when did one’s refusal to shed the blood of Nigerians on the streets become betrayal? Did former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan also betray Nigerians when he said the blood of Nigerians was worth more than his political ambition?
“Given Mr. Okonkwo’s association with Peter Obi in recent years, who can truly be called a traitor in these circumstances?”
Kazaure added that she had no doubt Okonkwo would be confronted daily both publicly and privately by the overwhelming disapproval of the people regarding his recent choices, outbursts, and internal conflicts.
“Anyway, Mr. Okonkwo, your opinion is entirely yours, just as your persistent, scathing focus on Peter Obi is representative only of your current political refuge. As we say in local parlance, kindly please face your front and Anlay-lay from here,” she added .
Yunusa Tanko, National Coordinator of the Obidients Movement Worldwide, also responded, dismissing Okonkwo’s remarks as a distraction intended to derail Obi’s growing momentum.
“Obi is coming. No distractions. No conspiracy. No misrepresentation can stop the moving train. A new Nigeria is possible,” Tanko wrote.
Peter Ameh, National Secretary of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) and a staunch Obi supporter, suggested that Okonkwo’s criticisms were part of a broader political agenda.
“These scathing attacks are not merely coincidental. There is more to them than appears on the surface,” Ameh wrote.
