Kenneth Okonkwo, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), says he will not support or campaign for any presidential ticket that excludes the South-East from either the presidency or vice-presidency in the 2027 election.
Okonkwo made his position known in a statement on Monday following the ADC’s selection of former minister of transportation and ex-Rivers governor, Rotimi Amaechi, as the running mate to its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
The actor-turned-politician said if the reports are true, the decision would amount to the continued marginalisation of the South-East geopolitical zone.
“I heard from social media that ADC has picked its vice-presidential candidate from the South-South,” he said.
“If this is true, it is unfortunate, as this will continue the crude marginalisation of the South-East.”
Okonkwo noted that the South-East has neither produced a president nor a vice-president since the return to democratic rule in 1999.
“This geopolitical zone has neither produced a president nor vice-president since 1999,” he said.
“To deny the South-East the opportunity to produce the president or vice-president in ADC in 2027 will amount to perpetuating the marginalisation.”
A PARTY FOUNDED BY RALPH NWOSU
The former spokesperson of Peter Obi’s 2023 presidential campaign also added that Ralph Nwosu, founder of the ADC, had played a significant role in facilitating the coalition that emerged around the party.
“The ADC was founded by Ralph Nwosu from the South-East in 2005,” he said.
“He made the sacrifice to give up the party in 2025 for the coalition to usher in a better Nigeria. He couldn’t have made that sacrifice to marginalise his own people.”
Okonkwo said he joined the coalition movement to promote equity and national inclusion, not to deepen existing grievances.
“I did not join the coalition to assist in the further marginalisation of my own people,” he said.
“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.”
According to him, he had previously urged Atiku Abubakar to demonstrate his commitment to the political inclusion of the South-East by selecting a running mate from the region.
“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,” he said.
Okonkwo maintained that he would not actively support a ticket that excludes the region from both positions.
“If it is confirmed that he has chosen a candidate from the South-South, I wish him well,” he said.
“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-president in 2027.”
