Veteran actor and former Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council spokesperson, Kenneth Okonkwo, has made serious allegations against former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, claiming he was betrayed amid internal party disputes.
In a viral interview with Symfoni, Okonkwo, who officially exited the Labour Party in February 2025, stated that Obi disregarded his advice by returning to support the embattled Julius Abure-led faction of the party.
Allegations of Betrayal
"Any politician that knows what he's doing cannot be betrayed by another. If there is anybody that betrayed the other, I can say it emphatically that Peter Obi betrayed me," Okonkwo declared in the interview.
According to Okonkwo, Obi was misled by Labour Party executives who falsely claimed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had recognized their faction.
"The Julius Abure-led LP members lied to Obi that the Independent National Electoral Commission had accepted them and Obi surreptitiously went back to them," Okonkwo explained.
He further revealed that he had cautioned Obi against this move: "I told him: 'Sir, you have made a public statement on integrity and even if INEC has accepted them, that is not a criterion for you to go back and start dealing with them because they have shown that they are not democratic. If you go back to them, they will destroy your political career and everything you have said about integrity will die.'"
Background of the Dispute
The allegations come amid ongoing factional disputes within the Labour Party, which have intensified since the 2023 presidential elections. Okonkwo, once a prominent voice in Obi's campaign, left the party in February 2025, signaling deep divisions within the political organization.
These revelations highlight the continuing challenges facing opposition politics in Nigeria, particularly within parties that presented themselves as alternatives to the established political order.
As of the time of reporting, Peter Obi has not publicly responded to these allegations.
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