A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kenneth Okonkwo, has said he will not campaign for the party’s presidential ticket if it does not include a running mate from the south-east geopolitical zone.
Okonkwo made the statement in reaction to reports that Atiku Abubakar, the ADC presidential candidate, may have settled for a running mate from the south-south region ahead of the 2027 elections.
On Monday, ADC named Rotimi Amaechi, former minister of transportation, as Atiku’s running mate.
In a post on X on Monday, Okonkwo said such a move, if confirmed, “would amount to a crude marginalisation of the South-East.”
“I heard from the 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.
“This Geo-Political Zone has neither produced a President or 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.”
Okonkwo argued that excluding the south-east from the ticket would be unjust, noting that the region has not produced a president or vice-president since 1999.
“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 said.
“He couldn’t have made that sacrifice to marginalise his own people. I did not join the coalition to assist in the further marginalisation of my own people.
“I am of the opinion that if we made a sacrifice to give up the National Chairman and the President, it will amount to unpardonable injustice to deny us the Vice President in 2027. I joined politics to fight for a better Nigeria where no region, Geo-Political Zone, or person will be marginalised.”
He added that his only expectation from Atiku Abubakar was inclusion of a south-east candidate as running mate.
“The only favour I asked Atiku Abubakar, who openly declared that he is the pathway to the presidency of the South-East, is to show it by choosing someone from the South-East to be his Vice,” Okonkwo said.
“If it is confirmed that he has chosen a candidate from the South-South, I wish him well. 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 in 2027.”