According to a report by The Vanguard on Monday, June 15, 2026, former Labour Party presidential campaign spokesperson, Kenneth Okonkwo, has withdrawn his support for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar following reports that former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has been selected as the vice-presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Okonkwo made his position known in a statement shared on his X account on Monday, expressing concern over what he described as the continued marginalisation of the South-East region in Nigeria’s political leadership structure.
Reacting to reports of Amaechi’s emergence as Atiku’s running mate, Okonkwo said the development would further deny the South-East an opportunity to occupy one of the country’s two highest political offices.
“I heard from social media that ADC has picked its vice-presidential candidate from the South-South. If this is true, it is unfortunate, as this will continue the crude marginalisation of the South-East,” he stated.
The actor-turned-politician argued that since Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999, the South-East has neither produced a President nor a Vice President.
According to him, excluding the region from both positions in 2027 would amount to a continuation of political injustice.
Okonkwo also recalled that the ADC was founded by Ralphs Nwosu, an indigene of the South-East, and said the sacrifices made by leaders from the region in support of political coalitions should not result in further exclusion.
He revealed that the only request he made to Atiku was to demonstrate commitment to South-East inclusion by choosing a running mate from the region.
While wishing Atiku well, Okonkwo declared that he would not campaign for any presidential ticket that does not feature a South-Easterner as either the presidential or vice-presidential candidate in the 2027 election.
