Veteran actor and politician Kenneth Okonkwo has made serious allegations against the Julius Abure-led executive of the Labour Party (LP), claiming they deceived the party's 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, regarding their recognition by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In an interview with Symfoni TV released on Saturday, Okonkwo, who previously served as spokesman for the LP Presidential Campaign Council, alleged that Abure and his executives falsely told Obi they had INEC's recognition, which prompted the former Anambra governor to resume working with them.
Warnings Ignored
Okonkwo expressed disappointment that despite warning Obi about the Abure faction allegedly working as agents for President Bola Tinubu's government, the former presidential candidate still publicly endorsed them.
"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 stated. "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.'"
He continued: "If you go back to them, they will destroy your political career and everything you have said about integrity will die. I told Obi that these people had become agents in the hands of the government to destabilise him."
Public Endorsement Despite Warnings
According to Okonkwo, his warnings fell on deaf ears as Obi quickly moved to publicly endorse the Abure faction. "After saying all those things, within like 72 hours, Obi went back to Abure's office to publicly endorse them," he revealed.
In what appeared to be a moment of personal humiliation, Okonkwo added: "While he was there talking to them, one of the leaders in that executive sent me the video to mock me that the person I was fighting for against them has come to their office to endorse them."
The allegations come amid ongoing internal conflicts within the Labour Party, which have persisted since the 2023 general elections.
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