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A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kenneth Okonkwo, has said the departure of former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi from the party’s presidential race left the Southeast politically disadvantaged and complicated the process that produced former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as the party’s vice-presidential candidate.
Okonkwo made the remarks on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television’s Morning Brief while responding to questions over Amaechi’s nomination, his delay in publicly acknowledging the position and concerns surrounding the party’s choice of running mate ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
According to him, the Southeast initially had a strong chance of producing the party’s vice-presidential candidate through Obi’s participation in the presidential primary, but his withdrawal altered the political calculations and left the region without a viable candidate for the position.
“The person that represented the southeast in that calculation left unceremoniously before the conclusion of the process, that left southeast disadvantaged and confused, and then immediately Peter Obi exited, it was as if that position that would have been given to Southeast was vacant.”
Okonkwo explained that although several prominent names from the Southeast were suggested as possible replacements, the Electoral Act prevented the party from selecting individuals who were not registered members of the ADC before the stipulated deadline.
“Some beautiful names were dropped off. You talked about Abaribe, you talked about Ngozi Okonjo, you talked about some nice names, but those names, they were no longer members of ADC.”
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He said those legal constraints ultimately influenced Atiku Abubakar’s decision to nominate Amaechi, whom he described as the closest available option to the Southeast.
“That was why Atiku still went to the nearest person that is closest to the southeast.”
Responding to suggestions that he had opposed Amaechi’s emergence, Okonkwo clarified that he never criticised the former Rivers governor personally, noting that Amaechi is of Igbo extraction. He maintained that his earlier comments centred on the principle of geopolitical equity, arguing that the Southeast has neither produced a president nor vice president since Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999.
He added that after the party leadership explained the rationale behind the decision and assured stakeholders that the interests of the Southeast would be protected, he accepted the outcome.
“We are now one big and happy family. ADC is going to form the next government of Nigeria, and Atiku will be the next president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by the grace of God,” he said.
Okonkwo noted that the ADC continues to engage party leaders and stakeholders through internal consultations to resolve outstanding concerns, strengthen unity and consolidate support ahead of the 2027 general election.
