Politics
“I’ll Support Anyone Willing to Leave Office After Four Years” – Kenneth Okonkwo
Former Labour Party presidential campaign spokesman, Kenneth Okonkwo, has declared his support for any presidential candidate—northerner or southerner—willing to step down after a single four-year term in office. Speaking on the Sunday edition of Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, a socio-political programme on Channels Television, Okonkwo emphasized the need for equity and fairness in Nigeria’s political structure, especially in line with the unwritten agreement on rotational presidency between the North and South.
“Everybody should come together. It is something that can be discussed. Who is going to do four years will influence who I am going to support because I still believe in equity and justice,” Okonkwo stated.
The Nollywood actor-turned-politician, who exited the Labour Party in February, expressed openness to joining a broad opposition coalition aimed at unseating President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027. His comments come amid increasing discussions of a united front among opposition parties, particularly after former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s recent defection from the APC to the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Okonkwo criticized the APC-led government as incompetent and reiterated that a strong and united opposition was crucial to defeating the ruling party. Citing the APC’s successful coalition strategy in 2013, which led to their 2015 electoral victory, he called for a similar approach among today’s opposition.
“My game plan is simple. If the opposition is serious about taking power from this incompetent government, they must unite and act as one,” he said. “I believe in coalition. When I was leaving, I said I was open to discussions with every group to consolidate the opposition so that we can remove this government.”