Last Year
The social media has been abuzz with the fireworks going on between the Labour Party presidential candidate at the last presidential election, former Anambra state governor, Peter Obi, and the Laqbour Party former spokesman and veteran nollywood actor, Kenneth Okonkwo. The two were, for a significant length of time, best of friends. They were spotted on several occasions where they attended political gatherings together. Kenneth Okonkwo was always by his side, echoing the sentiments of Peter Obi and giving clarity to his political standpoint on issues.
What many may not know is that the fall out between Peter Obi and Kenneth Okonkwo did not start today. The two fell out last year when Kenneth Okonkwo announced his exit from the Labour Party. Not only did he shock everyone with his sudden exit he also made some very disparaging remarks about Peter Obi, reflecting how embittered he felt at the time. He literally called to question Peter Obi’s leadership qualities and his capability to handle a complex country like Nigeria if he ever got elected to be President.
When the conflicts within the Labour Party got to a head last year, both Peter Obi and Okonkwo seemed to have taken same position on issues and appeared to have pitched tent with same camp, or so it seemed. They both seemed to be on the same page, until suddenly, things fell apart between them. But was more shocking beyond Okonkwo’s exit, were some of the claims and allegations made by Kenneth Okonkwo.
“What is happening in the Labour Party today has inspired in me a determination to chart a new course for my political journey. After the 2023 general election, Nigerians, including me, had high hopes on the Labour Party. I believed that Peter Obi will seize the momentum and build a solid party of integrity that will have the solid base that we need to overthrow these kakistocrats and kleptocrats. 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. I was like, does it mean HE Peter Obi is not aware that without a solid party base, we are heading to nowhere politically?
Kenneth Okonkwo who didn’t conceal his disappointment with the remarks of Peter Obi regarding the internal conflict within the party, had expressed his worry on his leadership credentials if he had a huge difficulty resolving the internal crisis within the party. He went on:
“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.”
According to Okonkwo, it was always difficult sometimes to tell where Peter Obi stood on issues. He had a knack for shifting the goal post the minute you turn and walk away after discussing with him and agreeing on some issues.
“I am shocked that PO could not openly support the noble efforts of the Labour Unions who founded the Labour Party as a base to fight for the welfare of workers to the extent that some of them are openly saying that PO is now the problem of LP. The Labour Unions now have the unfortunate situation where they are fighting criminals who want to hijack their party when an ordinary statement from the PO would have brought the solution. I cannot continue with this ambivalence forever.
“I am of course in full support of the Labour Unions and other stakeholders who are now compelled to fight for the soul of LP without the support of PO”.
The thoroughly bitter Kenneth Okonkwo went on to shock the support base of Peter Obi popularly known as the Obidient when he declared: “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. 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 win.”
Expectedly, this outburst from Kenneth Okonkwo and the scathing remarks he made about Peter Obi did not go down well with Obi’s supporters, the Obidients. They, as they often do with anyone that dares to take on their leader, tore at Kenneth Okonkwo and literally shredded him on social media. But credit must be given to Peter Obi, he didn’t say anything at the time. But a couple of weeks ago, after several months following Kenneth’s scathing remarks and public vote of no confidence on his leadership ability, Peter Obi set the social media on fire when he referred to Okonkwo as a betrayer. Being one who never takes such remarks about him lightly, the veteran actor responded with venom, insisting its Peter Obi that actually betrayed him and not the other way round.
“Any politician that knows what he’s doing cannot be betrayed by another. If there is anybody that betrayed the other, I can say it emphatically that Peter Obi betrayed me,” Okonkwo declared.
He alleged that Obi was misled by Labour Party executives who falsely claimed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had recognised their faction. Despite Okonkwo’s warnings, Obi returned to support the group.
“The Julius Abure-led LP members lied to Obi that the Independent National Electoral Commission had accepted them and Obi surreptitiously went back to them,” Okonkwo said. “But I told him: ‘Sir, you have made a public statement on integrity and even if INEC has accepted them, that is not a criterion for you to go back and start dealing with them because they have shown that they are not democratic. If you go back to them, they will destroy your political career and everything you have said about integrity will die.’”
Okonkwo said he made private efforts to dissuade Obi from engaging with the group, which he described as “undemocratic” and “agents of the government.”
“I told Obi that these people had become agents in the hands of the government to destabilise him. What they did was absolutely illegal and unconstitutional. I told him that if he went back to them, I wouldn’t join him in doing so.
“Thereafter, I called all the people that were in the inner circle and told them the same thing about what Obi was trying to do. I told them he wanted to go back with the Abure people and if he did, I wouldn’t go back with him because I do not swallow back my words,” he said.
According to Okonkwo, Obi eventually visited the Abure-led faction’s office and publicly endorsed them, a move which shocked him. He revealed that members of the faction even sent him a video of the endorsement to mock him.
“And after saying all those things, within like 72 hours, Obi went back to Abure’s office to publicly endorse them and while he was there talking to them, one of the leaders in that executive sent me the video to mock me that the person I was fighting for against them has come to their office to endorse them.”
He went on to explain that, by his actions, Peter Obi was committing political suicide and could have his career hit a severe brick wall. From the look of things, we certainly have not heard the last from these two former friends, the bitterness between them is still intense and it may take a while before it fades away.
