Former Labour Party chieftain Kenneth Okonkwo has criticised the African Democratic Congress over reports that it has selected former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as its vice-presidential candidate for the 2027 elections. The move, which pairs Amaechi with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as presidential flagbearer, has drawn backlash from Okonkwo, who accused the party of deepening regional exclusion. He argued that the South-East remains the only geo-political zone not to have produced a President or Vice President since 1999, calling continued exclusion a form of injustice.
Okonkwo pointed to the founding of the ADC by Ralph Nwosu from the South-East in 2005, noting that Nwosu had given up leadership of the party in 2025 for the sake of a coalition aimed at building a better Nigeria. He said it would contradict Nwosu's sacrifice if the coalition now marginalised South-East people. "The ADC was founded by Ralph Nwosu from the South-East in 2005. He made the sacrifice to give up the party in 2025 for the coalition to usher in a better Nigeria. He couldn't have made that sacrifice to marginalise his own people," Okonkwo stated.
He insisted that the coalition was expected to ensure equity by nominating a candidate from the South-East for either president or vice president in 2027. Okonkwo revealed that his support for the coalition ticket hinges on this condition, warning he may withdraw if the final arrangement excludes the region. "I am not favourably disposed to campaigning for any presidential ticket that does not have a person of South-East origin as President or Vice President in 2027," he said. He added that he had previously discussed South-East inclusion with Atiku Abubakar, expecting it to be reflected in the ticket.
Kenneth Okonkwo claims to oppose marginalisation while making his support for Atiku Abubakar conditional on regional calculations. The same logic he criticises in others now shapes his own political stance. He expects inclusion from a coalition he admits was built on sacrifice, yet threatens to abandon it when his demands are unmet. This positions him not as a critic of zoning politics but as a participant in its bargaining.
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