A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, Kenneth Okonkwo, has warned that supporters of Peter Obi could inadvertently strengthen the re-election prospects of Bola Tinubu if they back Obi in the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking during an interview with Symfoni TV on Wednesday, Okonkwo argued that Nigeria’s opposition parties must rally behind a single platform to stand a realistic chance of defeating the incumbent.
According to him, a divided opposition would only improve Tinubu’s chances at the polls.
“The reason I said it is that either you’re working for Tinubu directly, in other words, you’re in APC, or you’re working for Tinubu indirectly because when you divide the votes of the coalition and the opposition, you’re still making Tinubu better placed to win,” he said.
Okonkwo also faulted Obi’s reported withdrawal from coalition talks within the ADC, suggesting the former presidential candidate was unwilling to test his popularity through a competitive primary process.
“Nobody forced Peter Obi to enter ADC. He entered on his own, and one week to the end of the closure of the time, he left and gave the reason. You can’t compete in a primary, and you want to be a politician. You want to be the president of a challenged country, and you’re running away from challenge,” he stated.
The former Labour Party spokesman further claimed that Victor Umeh had previously advocated a South-East and northern political alliance as the region’s most viable path to the presidency.
Okonkwo alleged that Umeh had told him Obi was reluctant to embrace such advice.
“I told him, ‘Have you told Obi?’ He said yes, but that Peter Obi is very stubborn. That if you tell him anything, he would not believe but would continue to try,” he claimed.
Reiterating his position, Okonkwo urged opposition voters to carefully consider the consequences of a fragmented vote.
“Let me tell you the truth, in 2027, anybody voting any vote whatsoever to Peter Obi, you’re voting for Tinubu, and don’t say that I didn’t tell you.”
