ABUJA — Prominent Nollywood actor turned politician, Kenneth Okonkwo, has officially withdrawn his support for the opposition coalition ticket of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The dramatic rift follows widespread reports that the party has selected former Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, from the South-South region, as the running mate to presidential flagbearer Atiku Abubakar.
Okonkwo, a former spokesperson for the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, made his grievances public via a statement on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, describing the decision to overlook the South-East as an unpardonable act of political exclusion.
The Cry of Marginalisation
“I did not join the coalition to assist in the further marginalisation of my own people,” Okonkwo stated flatly. He argued that the South-East geopolitical zone has been systematically denied access to executive leadership, having produced neither a President nor a Vice President since the return to democratic rule in 1999.
According to Okonkwo, the decision by the ADC leadership undermines the founding principles and sacrifices made to build the opposition alliance. He referenced the party’s National Chairman, Chief Ralphs Nwosu—a South-East native—who surrendered his long-standing control of the party structure to facilitate the broad coalition.
“He made the sacrifice to give up the party for the coalition to usher in a better Nigeria,” Okonkwo noted. “He couldn’t have made that sacrifice to marginalise his own people. 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.”
Broken Alliances
The fallout exposes deep political cracks within the newly minted ADC coalition, which recently elected former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its 2027 presidential candidate.
Okonkwo revealed that his alignment with Atiku was predicated on an explicit understanding regarding regional equity.
“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 revealed.
With the party heavily tipped to anchor its ticket with Amaechi, Okonkwo made it clear that his participation in the campaign has come to an immediate halt. “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 in 2027.”
Cracks in the Coalition
The public withdrawal adds to the gathering storm within the ADC following its competitive national primary. The build-up to the ticket has already seen major turbulence, including the high-profile withdrawal of frontline presidential aspirant Muhammad Hayatu-Deen, who pulled out of the race citing irregularities.
As the political landscape reshapes ahead of 2027, the loss of vocal figures like Okonkwo signals a challenging road ahead for the ADC as it attempts to harmonise conflicting regional interests to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
