Actor-turned-politician Kenneth Okonkwo has withdrawn his support for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar following the reported emergence of former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
Okonkwo made his position known in a statement posted on his X account on Monday, shortly after reports surfaced that Amaechi had been selected as Atiku’s running mate.
The former spokesman for the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council said he was disappointed by what he described as the continued marginalisation of the South-East in Nigeria’s political power structure.
“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,” he wrote.
According to Okonkwo, the South-East remains the only geo-political zone that has not produced either a President or Vice President since Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999.
“This geo-political zone has neither produced a President nor Vice President since 1999. To deny the South-East the opportunity to produce the President or Vice President in ADC in 2027 will amount to perpetuating the marginalisation,” he stated.
He also recalled that the ADC was founded by Ralphs Nwosu, an indigene of the South-East, arguing that the sacrifices made by leaders from the region in support of the coalition should not result in further exclusion.
“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,” Okonkwo said.
The politician stressed that his participation in politics has always been guided by the principles of equity, justice and inclusiveness.
“I did not join politics to assist in the further marginalisation of my own people. If we made the sacrifice of giving up both the National Chairman position and the presidency, it would amount to unpardonable injustice to deny us the vice-presidential slot in 2027,” he added.
Okonkwo further revealed that he had urged Atiku to demonstrate his commitment to South-East inclusion 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 prove it by choosing someone from the South-East as his vice-presidential candidate,” he said.
He concluded by stating that he would not support or campaign for any presidential ticket that excludes the South-East from both the presidential and vice-presidential positions.
“If it is confirmed that he has chosen a candidate from the South-South, I wish him well. However, I am not favourably disposed to campaigning for any presidential ticket that does not have a person of South-East origin as President or Vice President in 2027,” Okonkwo said.
