TDFormer Labour Party presidential campaign spokesman and prominent actor-turned-politician, Kenneth Okonkwo, has announced his withdrawal of support for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the opposition coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Okonkwo cited what he described as the continued marginalisation of the South-East in Nigeria’s political arrangement.
He made his position known in a post shared on social media on Monday, where he reacted to reports that the ADC coalition had allegedly settled for a vice-presidential candidate from the South-South geopolitical zone ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
According to him, if the reports prove accurate, such a decision would amount to another instance of political exclusion against the South-East, a region he noted has neither produced a President nor Vice President since Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999.
“I heard from social media that ADC has picked its vice-presidential candidate from the South-South.
“If this is true, it is unfortunate, as this will continue the crude marginalisation of the South-East,” Okonkwo wrote.
The former Labour Party stalwart argued that denying the South-East the opportunity to produce either the presidential or vice-presidential candidate of the coalition would further deepen feelings of exclusion in the region.
References Ralph Nwosu’s Sacrifice
Okonkwo also invoked the role of ADC founder, Ralph Nwosu, stating that the party was established by a South-Easterner who later sacrificed control of the platform to facilitate the emergence of a broader opposition coalition.
According to him, it would be unjust if such a sacrifice ultimately resulted in the political sidelining of the founder’s region.
“The ADC was founded by Ralphs Nwosu from the South-East in 2005. He made the sacrifice to give up the party in 2025 for the coalition to usher in a better Nigeria.
“He couldn’t have made that sacrifice to marginalise his own people,” he stated.
“I Did Not Join Coalition to Marginalise My People”
The outspoken politician stressed that he joined the coalition movement to fight for a more equitable Nigeria and not to contribute to what he described as the further marginalisation of the South-East.
Okonkwo maintained that after the region had allegedly conceded both the national chairmanship and the presidential ticket within the coalition arrangement, it would be unfair to deny it the vice-presidential slot as well.
He disclosed that his only request to Atiku Abubakar, whom he described as someone who had publicly presented himself as a pathway to a South-East presidency, was to demonstrate that commitment by selecting a running mate from the region.
“The only favour I asked Atiku Abubakar, who openly declared that he is the pathway to the presidency of the South-East, is to show it by choosing someone from the South-East to be his Vice,” he said.
Withdraws Campaign Support
In what appears to be a major political setback for the coalition, Okonkwo declared that he would not be favourably disposed to campaigning for any presidential ticket in 2027 that does not feature a South-Easterner either as presidential or vice-presidential candidate.
While wishing Atiku well if the reports are eventually confirmed, he made it clear that his support would not be available to a ticket that excludes the South-East from its top two positions.
The development is likely to reignite debate over zoning, power-sharing and political inclusion ahead of the 2027 general elections, particularly as opposition parties seek to build a united front capable of challenging the ruling establishment.
As of the time of filing this report, neither Atiku Abubakar nor the ADC coalition had officially confirmed the identity of any vice-presidential candidate.
