A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kenneth Okonkwo, has claimed that votes for the Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in the 2027 presidential election would indirectly favour President Bola Tinubu.
Okonkwo made the statement during an interview on Symfoni TV on Wednesday, where he stressed the need for opposition forces to unite under a single platform ahead of the next general election.
He argued that a divided opposition would only strengthen the chances of the incumbent president securing re-election.
“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 criticised Obi’s reported exit from ADC coalition discussions, alleging that the former Anambra State governor was unwilling to participate in 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 said.
The former Labour Party spokesman further claimed that Senator Victor Umeh had once suggested that the South-East’s best chance of producing a president would be through an alliance with northern political interests.
“When we were all entering ADC, Victor Umeh made it clear and spoke to me directly that the only chance the Igbo people have is to align with the North and for our brother Peter Obi to be a vice president,” Okonkwo said.
He added that Obi was reportedly not receptive to 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 said.
Okonkwo maintained that opposition supporters must carefully evaluate their political decisions ahead of 2027, insisting that any vote for Obi would ultimately benefit the current administration.
“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,” he stated.
