BY AHMED AKANBI
Former spokesperson of the Labour Party (LP) presidential campaign, Kenneth Okonkwo, has accused Peter Obi of wasting a once-in-a-lifetime chance to lead Nigeria as the Labour Party presidential candidate, saying voters were ready to hand him power “free of charge” in 2023.
Speaking on Selah Meditate Podcast, Okonkwo was asked to describe President Bola Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar, and Obi in one sentence each.
His verdict on Obi, who’s now the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for 2027 general elections, was brutal.
“A man who had the opportunity of being great and dashed it by himself. No system will give you egg without breaking it. You can’t make an omelette without breaking an egg,” he said.
According to him, Obi failed to make the sacrifices required to convert public goodwill into political victory.
Okonkwo argued that 2023 was different because Nigerians backed Obi without demanding the usual money politics.
“For the first time in Nigeria, people are willing to give somebody power free of charge. You should be able to make every sacrifice needed, no matter what.
“He’s a man that God and living people would have loved to give him what he wants.
“But he needs to make the necessary sacrifice, no matter what it will entail, to hold onto that free gift,” he stated.
On Atiku Abubakar, Okonkwo was conciliatory, calling him “a benevolent leader that doesn’t want to give up until he ensures the nation has a taste of the benevolence.”
He said the former vice president and now the presidential candidate of African Democratic Congress, ADC wants to contribute to rescuing the country within his lifetime.
His sharpest attack was on President Tinubu, whom he described as “the worst leader Nigeria would ever have.”
Okonkwo was a key voice on Obi’s 2023 campaign before both men fell out over strategy and direction.
He has since pitched his tent with opposition forces around Atiku ahead of 2027.
Okonkwo’s outburst underscores the widening cracks in the 2023 ‘Obidient’ coalition, with former allies now questioning Obi’s political tactics and readiness to make hard choice.