Kenneth Okonkwo, a chieftain of the Labour Party (LP), says he no longer has confidence in the ability of Peter Obi, LP presidential candidate in 2023, to build a party that can win elections.
Okonkwo said Obi has “proved that even if the people vote for him, he doesn’t have what it takes to secure the mandate”.
In the build-up to the 2023 presidential election, Okonkwo left the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for LP.
He was later appointed as one of the spokespersons of the LP presidential campaign council.
Recently, Okonkwo has been critical of the national working committee (NWC) of the LP led by Julius Abure, chairman of the party.
In June 2024, Okonkwo described the LP as “a secret society led by a group of clowns”, adding that he could not rule out leaving the party.
In a statement published on his X handle on Saturday, the LP chieftain said the recent happenings in the party have “inspired” him to “a determination to chart a new course for my political journey”.
He said after the 2023 elections, many Nigerians, including himself, had “high hopes” in Obi.
Okonkwo said he thought that the former Anambra governor would “seize the momentum and build a solid party of integrity that will have the solid base that we need to overthrow” the APC and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“He just needed to give the right directives and everyone will fall in line. I received my first shock when he publicly declared that he didn’t promise Nigerians to build a strong Labour Party, but to solve Nigeria’s problems,” Okonkwo said.
“I was like, does it mean Peter Obi is not aware that without a solid party base, we are heading to nowhere politically?
“However, I continued in his defence believing he will still privately bring the needed solution to LP problems but to no avail.
“PO also publicly demanded that the Abure-led National Working Committee must organise an all-inclusive convention that will guarantee the participation of all members of the Labour Party in the choice of their leaders.
“This didn’t happen, and surprisingly, PO refused to disassociate himself from the shenanigans and criminal activities of the former NWC as their time had expired.
“Every member of the Labour Party is confused today as to the future of the Labour Party because of lack of leadership from PO over the party, and unfortunately, when they look up to me to tell them about PO’s standpoint, I sincerely have nothing to tell them because I don’t know myself.
“I cannot continue to speak on behalf of a leader that I do not know his stand on issues of great importance. I simply don’t know how to manipulate facts.”
‘OBI DIDN’T SUPPORT NLC EFFORT TO RESCUE LP’
Okonkwo said Obi did not support the efforts of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in “fighting criminals who want to hijack their party”.
He said an “ordinary statement” from the LP presidential candidate would have resolved the issues.
“However, the consequence is that I no longer have the confidence that PO has what it takes to build a party that can win these kakistocrats and kleptocrats, and above all, he has proved that even if the people vote for him, he doesn’t have what it takes to secure the mandate,” he said.
“I don’t intend to embark on such a campaign as we did in 2023, projecting a person who cannot sustain the victory even if he wins.
“It’s in this regard that I have decided to continue my political journey into the great Nigeria of our vision without Peter Obi.”
Okonkwo said his comments have “nothing to do with any desire to join APC or PDP”, adding that he will always join Nigerians in the aspirations for a better Nigeria.
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