In the last few weeks, the feud between Kenneth Okonkwo and Peter Obi has dominated public discourse and commentary. Kenneth Okonkwo came to limelight in 1992 when he featured as “Andy Okeke”, the lead actor in the Nollywood classic, Living in Bondage. Born on November 6, 1968, in Nsukka, Enugu State, he holds degrees in Business Administration, Law, and International Law and Diplomacy. He spent over a decade as a notable actor in the Nollywood industry before he ventured into partisan politics. Okonkwo is now a Chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Peter Obi on the other hand does not need much introduction having served as a two term governor of Anambra State and candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 Presidential election. Obi has also emerged as the Presidential Candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2027 election. He made his mark as a businessman and later grew to become the former chairman of a bank in Nigeria.

Obi and Okonkwo came close to work together during the 2023 Presidential election where the latter was the former’s campaign spokesperson. They later fell apart months after the elections. Since then, Okonkwo has used every opportunity he gets to appear in the media to attack the person of Peter Obi.

In a recent interview he had on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Okonkwo had alleged that Obi and the NDC’s South-East caucus demanded N10 million each from House of Representatives aspirants to secure party tickets. Okonkwo further claimed that Obi handpicked candidates from an Abuja hotel rather than conducting fair primaries.

 Peter Obi subsequently initiated a N5 billion defamation lawsuit against his former ally, through his legal team led by Chief Alex Ejesieme (SAN). Obi had described the allegations as false, malicious, and damaging to his integrity. He had earlier issued a pre-action demand for an unreserved public apology, a full retraction across all media platforms, and N5 billion in general, aggravated, and exemplary damages. On his part, Kenneth Okonkwo rejected Obi’s demands, stating he will not retract his comments and dared Obi to proceed to court. Okonkwo also suggested that pursuing the lawsuit is unwise as it could force him to divulge confidential political information on him.

This threat to us as a news medium, is tantamount to blackmail and that is why we ask the question: What does Kenneth Okonkwo really want from Peter Obi? The Nollywood actor-turned-politician has recently become a highly controversial figure. Once a fierce defender and spokesperson for Peter Obi’s 2023 presidential campaign, he has shifted into a vocal critic of the same man he once promoted. Some former allies of Obi accuse Okonkwo of political inconsistency, opportunism, and sycophancy. They argue he exploits political platforms for personal advancement and that his recent fierce criticisms of Obi stem from bitterness over political realignments and unrealized ambitions.

For instance, a public affairs analyst and member of Peter Obi’s political movement, Dr. Kachi Ononuju, had alleged that Okonkwo’s financial demands, particularly for house rent, from Peter Obi, were at the centre of the fallout between them.

Dr. Ononuju levelled the allegations against Okonkwo in a recent TV interview. He alleged that Okonkwo’s disagreement with Obi stemmed from expectations of financial support that were not fully met, insisting that money, rather than ideology, drove the rift between the two former allies.

According to him, Obi had attempted to assist Okonkwo during their political association, but the actor-turned-politician had expected more.

For Ikechukwu Amaechi, a veteran journalist and public affairs commentator, Okonkwo’s rantings against Peter Obi could be likened to the infamous role played by a Norwegian military officer and politician, Vidkun Quisling, during World War II, where he helped facilitate the Nazi invasion of his own country and led a domestic collaborationist regime loyal to Führer Adolf Hitler. Amaechi noted that, “The Norwegian traitor’s perfidy reminds me of Kenneth Okonkwo, the actor turned politician, who has proven to be an Igbo quisling extraordinaire. He is not in government. He hopes to be if his principal, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, wins the 2027 presidential election. That is a legitimate ambition.

“But in so doing, he is actively sabotaging the legitimate aspiration of Ndigbo, as evidenced in his virulent attacks on Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC). He has every right not to support Obi’s political ambition. That is the beauty of democracy because the principle of choice is the heartbeat of a democratic society. And in deciding not to throw his weight behind Obi’s aspiration, he is not alone. Politics is a game of interest and it is not often that people subsume their personal interests in the overarching national goal. But what he has no right to do is to continuously lie against Obi and impugn his character in the name of politics.”

We believe Kenneth Okonkwo seems not to understand what it takes to work with those who are higher than him in politics. His frequent rush to use the media to castigate those who are supposed to act as political mentors to him will not help his political career. Only recently, he went on his X page (formerly twitter) to declare that he was no longer supporting Atiku Abubakar’s Presidential bid because he didn’t choose someone from the South East as his running mate.

We therefore hope that he will move on in peace without taking up the kind of role Nyesom Wike played against Atiku in the 2023 Presidential election, because that would be funny to watch. The same way Okonkwo is complaining that he was not informed by Atiku before choosing Rotimi Amaechi was exactly the same way Wike complained in 2022 when Okowa was chosen.

The only difference between Kenneth Okonkwo and Nyesom Wike is that while Wike had a political capacity that stretched far beyond media interviews, Kenneth Okonkwo’s electoral currency, at the moment, seems to end at Arise TV and Channels TV.

As of 2023, Nyesom Wike was not just a governor. He was a political leader with structures, influence, and loyalists spread across different states. So He had the capacity to make political moves that commanded national attention to the detriment of his adversaries.

Kenneth Okonkwo, on the other hand, may not be able to boast of an influence that covers even the Nsukka/Igbo-Eze South Federal Constituency where he hails from.

We therefore advise Kenneth Okonkwo to humble himself before those whom he has opportunity to work with in his political journey. He must eschew politics of bitterness, disloyalty, betrayal, and ingratitude if he must climb high the political ladder in Nigeria.

Whatever be the differences he may have with Peter Obi, Okonkwo should tread with caution especially when making comments and statements in the media space.