Former Labour Party presidential campaign spokesman, Kenneth Okonkwo, has announced that he may no longer support former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s 2027 presidential bid if reports that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has selected its vice-presidential candidate from the South-South are confirmed.
In a statement posted on his X handle, Okonkwo said such a move would amount to the continued marginalisation of the South-East, noting that the region has neither produced a President nor Vice President since the return of democracy in 1999.
According to him, denying the South-East the opportunity to produce either the President or Vice President on the ADC ticket in 2027 would be an injustice and a continuation of political exclusion.
Okonkwo recalled that the ADC was founded by Ralphs Nwosu, an indigene of the South-East, in 2005, adding that Nwosu sacrificed his position and handed over the party to the coalition in 2025 in the interest of building a better Nigeria.
He argued that the sacrifice made by the South-East should not result in the further marginalisation of the region.
“I did not join the coalition to assist in the further marginalisation of my own people,” he stated, stressing that it would be “unpardonable injustice” if the South-East was denied the vice-presidential slot after relinquishing both the party chairmanship and the presidential ticket.
Okonkwo disclosed that the only request he made to Atiku Abubakar, who he said had publicly declared himself as the pathway to the South-East presidency, was to demonstrate that commitment by selecting a running mate from the region.
He warned that if reports of the selection of a South-South candidate prove true, he would not campaign for any presidential ticket that does not feature a South-Easterner either as President or Vice President.
“I joined politics to fight for a better Nigeria where no region, geo-political zone, or person will be marginalised,” Okonkwo said, adding that he wished Atiku well if the reports are eventually confirmed.
