You are a politician of convenience, not of conviction, Kenneth Okonkwo tells Peter Obi

Peter Obi and Kenneth Okonkwo

The former spokesperson of the Labour Party presidential campaign organisation, Kenneth Okonkwo, has accused Mr. Peter Obi of betraying him.

He described Obi as a politician of convenience rather than a politician of conviction.

Okonkwo made this statement while responding to insinuations that he had betrayed Peter Obi, who represented the Labour Party in the 2023 presidential election.

In June 2024, Mr. Okonkwo resigned from the Labour Party, expressing frustration that the party failed to inspire leadership capable of solving Nigeria’s challenges.
He also accused the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, of failing to resolve the party’s leadership crisis after the 2023 general election, which Obi lost to Bola Tinubu, the current president of Nigeria.

Following Okonkwo’s exit from the party, Mr. Obi described his former spokesperson as a beloved brother and trusted ally, cautioning against labeling him a mole.

“Barr. Kenneth Okonkwo has stood by me through thick and thin, and his loyalty and commitment cannot be overstated or diminished,” Obi said.

However, in a recent interview on Symfoni TV, Okonkwo revealed the events that led to his departure from the party and the role he alleges Mr. Obi played in his electoral defeat.

Responding to Mr. Obi’s insinuations that he betrayed him, Okonkwo, a legal practitioner, expressed a profound sense of betrayal. He stated that nobody can betray a politician who knows what he is doing.

“If anybody betrayed the other, I can say emphatically that Peter Obi betrayed me,” he said, referring to what he perceives as a breach of trust and loyalty.

Okonkwo described Mr. Obi’s recent claims that he was betrayed as untrue and alleged that the former presidential candidate is, in fact, betraying himself.

“And let me tell you the gospel truth, nobody is murdering Obi’s political career. Obi is committing political suicide. And I mean it.

“I pleaded with every member of the Labour Party that nobody should campaign for or endorse any candidate who is not a member of the Labour Party. Yet, Obi publicly endorsed candidates of other political parties,” he added.

Okonkwo said he faced obstacles when he took some Labour Party candidates to the national headquarters, begging for their endorsement.

“So the issue here is, when he was insinuating betrayal, I was warning him that these people were going to sell him out, and if he followed them, I would not follow him. He said I was behaving rascally.

“What is he saying today? This is Obi saying the government is using these people against him,” the veteran actor said.

Okonkwo explained that he refused to leave the Labour Party when it became clear he could not solve its problems.

“If you’re a leader in a party, you have options. The first is, if you see that these people are criminals and you can’t solve the problem as a leader, you leave the party so your followers will not be confused and so that you’re not left with nothing to do close to the next election.

“Now, you did not leave. You remained with them. Why? Because you’re in cahoots with these people privately while publicly painting another image. No, you’re just being a politician of convenience, not a politician of conviction,” Okonkwo said.

He further insinuated that the Labour Party is not viable enough to run a successful presidential campaign.

Okonkwo said, “I told him that whatever happened to the Labour Party has affected his political career. Anytime you enter a coalition, the destiny of your political future is no longer in your hands. You must subordinate your interests to the interests of the alliance. The Labour Party is not viable as a party to have a good presidential campaign, so his political destiny now lies in the coalition, or he will make no impact whatsoever in 2027.”

Credited: Premium Times