Kenneth Okonkwo, a veteran Nollywood actor and former Labour Party chieftain, has made scathing criticisms of Peter Obi, the party’s 2023 presidential candidate.
Okonkwo accused Obi of betraying him and failing to effectively manage the party’s leadership crisis.
Speaking in a video interview, Okonkwo claimed that Obi aligned with the Julius Abure-led faction of the party, which is allegedly hobnobbing with the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The former LP spokesperson said Obi repeatedly ignored calls to distance himself from Abure’s faction.
While criticising Obi’s leadership style, Okonkwo said the ex-Anambra governor lacks the traits of a team player and an effective manager.
He said: “When we started in 2023, it was an organic movement. Every Nigerian wanted change. Every Nigerian was dissatisfied with the way things were going. So, we felt that something new was appearing on the horizon.
“And because I am a man focused on the security and welfare of Nigerians, not a politician loyal to any political party, I was committed to the movement. Nobody drafted me into it.
“I followed the movement on my own accord. So, when I was chosen to be a spokesperson, I honoured it. Everybody knew what I did and the contributions I made.
“We did what we did, and we believe we won the election. What happened after that? If you are a brilliant politician, what you should do is to start preparing and consolidating for 2027, and the first platform you begin with is your party.
“Obi is a politician of convenience, not a politician of conviction. Nobody is murdering his political career. Obi is committing political suicide. And I mean it.”
Okonkwo rejected allegations of betraying Obi, instead asserting that if anyone betrayed the other, it was Obi who betrayed him, as a competent politician cannot be betrayed by others.
