…describes Abure-led NWC as criminals who want to hijack LP
The festering crisis in the Labour Party took a dramatic twist following the outburst of Mr Kenneth Okonkwo, the official spokesman of Mr Peter Obi who was the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 presidential election, berating his boss, Mr Peter Obi for not showing decisive leadership in the crisis engulfing the party.
In a fiery press release, the popular Nollywood veteran announced his decision to dump the Labour Party as well as severe ties with Mr. Peter Obi who he has promoted since 2022. He equally revealed that he has embarked on negotiations and consultation to determine his next step, with credible sources affirming he is set to rejoin the ruling All Progressives Congress.
While giving background to the issues that informed his decision to quit the party, Okonkwo said that he was disappointed by the nonchalant attitude of Mr. Peter Obi, the supposed leader of the Labour Party to the leadership crisis that has engulfed the party and was particularly shocked by a recent statement by Mr. Peter Obi where he bizarrely stated that “he didn’t promise Nigerians to build a strong Labour Party but to solve Nigeria’s problems.”
Mr Kenneth Okonkwo also remarked that Mr Peter Obi was not the kind of leader that is capable of winning a Presidential election and sustaining his mandate and accused him of being a coward for his inability to lead from the front and give the right direction to Labour Party in the face of the leadership crisis that wants to consume the party.
He noted that to wrestle power from a ruling party, one needs to build a solid political party with a grassroot base.
“By our Constitution, we need a solid political party with a solid grassroots base to be able to wrestle power from these kakistocrats and kleptocrats”, Kenneth Okonkwo said.
“We therefore, need a decisive leader who will be able to build such a party of integrity and character from the grassroots because eventually, the majority of the people that will populate a government will proceed from the political party of the leader.
“A party is like a political tree that produces the fruit of the leadership cadre in government. A corrupt tree will never birth good fruits no matter the integrity and good intentions of the leader. Nigeria’s problems today come from lack of internal democracy in the parties which become a breeding ground for the production of incompetent and corrupt leaders in government”, Okonkwo added.
Mr. Kenneth Okonkwo went further to declare that he is searching for a decisive leader who will be selfless enough, in boldness and bravery, to secure an electoral victory, when the people vote for such a leader.
“I am earnestly searching for such a leader who has the integrity and also the commensurate charisma and bravery to mobilise the people to sustain the victory, if Nigeria votes for such a person. The time for calm down is over”, he stated.
“I recall how we suffered and risked all to liberate Nigeria from the shackles of these kakistocrats and kleptocrats in 2023 only for the victory to be stolen. It is obvious that the judiciary will not give us democracy because of abuse of the judicial process. The people must take their destiny into their own hands. They must be willing to vote for the right person as the President and must be willing to fight to ensure that the person is sworn in as President.
“However, the person must be willing to be in the forefront of such endeavour. The suffering Nigerians are going through now from the people they didn’t vote for, but who snatched power, cannot be allowed to continue. These people will remain in power come 2027 unless a decisive leader emerges to stop them with the votes of the people.
“What is happening in the Labour Party has inspired in me a determination to chart a new course for my political journey. After the 2023 general elections, Nigerians, including me had high hopes for the Labour Party. I believe that Peter Obi will seize the momentum and build a solid party of integrity that will have the solid base that we need to overthrow these kakistocrats and kleptocrats. He just needed to give the right directives and everyone would fall in line.
“I received my first shock when he publicly declared that he didn’t promise Nigerians to build a strong Labour Party, but to solve Nigeria’s problems. I was like, does it mean HE Peter Obi is not aware that without a solid party base, we are heading nowhere politically? However, I continued in his defence believing he would privately bring the needed solutions to LP problems, to no avail.
“PO (Peter Obi) also publicly demanded that the Abure-led National Working Committee must organise an all-inclusive convention that will guarantee the participation of all members of the Labour Party in the choice of leaders. This didn’t happen, and surprisingly, PO refused to disassociate himself from the shenanigans and criminal activities of the former NWC as their time had expired.
“Every member of the Labour Party is confused today as to the future of the Labour Party because of the lack of leadership from PO over the party, and unfortunately, when they look up to me to tell them about PO’s standpoint, I sincerely have nothing to tell them because I don’t know myself. I cannot continue to speak on behalf of a leader that I do not know his stand on issues of great importance. I simply don’t know how to manipulate facts.
“I am shocked that PO could not openly support the noble efforts of the Labour Unions who founded the Labour Party as a base to fight for the welfare of workers to the extent that some of them are openly saying that PO is now the problem of LP. The Labour unions now have an unfortunate situation where they are fighting criminals who want to hijack their party when an ordinary statement from the PO would have brought the solution. I cannot continue with this ambivalence forever.
“I am of course in full support of the Labour Unions and other stakeholders who are now compelled to fight for the soul of LP without the support of PO. However, the consequence is that I no longer have the confidence that PO has what it takes to build a party that can win these kakistocrats and kleptocrats, and above all, he has proved that even if the people vote for him, he doesn’t have what it takes to secure the mandate. I don’t intend to embark on such a campaign as we did in 2023, projecting a person who cannot sustain the victory even if he wins.
“It is in this regard that I have decided to continue my political journey into the great Nigeria of our vision without Peter Obi”, Kenneth Okonkwo declared.
Obi’s former Spokesman announced that with his declaration to severe ties with Peter Obi and the Labour Party, he is now free to embark on negotiation and consultation with every “like-minded people” to determine the next step in his political journey.
In recent times, the rank and file of the Labour Party have been depleting as the battle for the soul of the Party rages on. Peter Obi, as the nation’s leader of the party has shown little signs of leading a reconciliation effort which involves all the warring parties. Some lawmakers elected on the platform of the Labour Party have dumped the Labour Party in recent times citing crisis in the party.
Mr. Peter Obi also appears confused about what his political future will be especially as regards the 2027 presidential election. Some months ago, he visited former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar of the PDP who he ran with on a joint ticket in 2019. He also visited former Senate President, Bukola Saraki and former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido. This sparked speculation that he was negotiating to return to the PDP to run as Vice Presidential candidate to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in 2027.
