Former Labour Party spokesperson and Nollywood actor-turned-politician Kenneth Okonkwo has opened up on his deteriorating relationship with former presidential candidate Peter Obi, alleging that he was betrayed by his former political ally while praising former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for looking beyond past criticisms to recognise his potential.
Okonkwo made the remarks during an appearance on Politics Today on Channels Television, barely 24 hours after he was unveiled as spokesperson for Atiku Abubakar, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
Reflecting on his political journey, Okonkwo said he publicly severed ties with Obi in 2024 after concluding that the former Anambra State governor lacked the decisiveness needed to govern Nigeria effectively.
According to him, his decision to criticise Obi came only after he had ended his official role as the former presidential candidate’s spokesperson.
“I had already finished my assignment with him before making my position public,” Okonkwo said, adding that he resumed his work as a public affairs analyst and no longer spoke on Obi’s behalf.
He further claimed that Obi, not him, was responsible for the breakdown in their relationship.
In contrast, Okonkwo said Atiku chose to focus on what he could contribute rather than on his previous criticisms of the former vice president.
He recounted that despite being informed about his past comments, Atiku believed he possessed the commitment and determination needed to help build a better Nigeria and was willing to work with him.
Okonkwo also described Atiku as someone with a reputation for identifying and nurturing talented individuals, citing personalities such as Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Prof. Charles Soludo and Nasir El-Rufai as examples of people he believes benefited from Atiku’s support.
His comments come against the backdrop of an ongoing legal dispute between him and Obi.
The dispute arose after Okonkwo alleged that Obi and others received bribes from aspirants seeking tickets for the House of Representatives. Obi, through his legal representatives, denied the allegations, describing them as false and defamatory. His lawyers demanded a public retraction, an apology and N5 billion in damages.
Following Okonkwo’s failure to comply with the demand within the stipulated period, Obi filed a defamation suit at the Anambra State High Court in Onitsha in June 2026.
Speaking on the lawsuit, Okonkwo dismissed the action as unnecessary and questioned why Obi chose to pursue legal action only after they had parted ways politically.
He maintained that he had not defamed the former Labour Party presidential candidate and insisted that the information he disclosed was based on documentary evidence, which he said would be presented before the court at the appropriate time.
When reminded during the interview that some of the individuals he cited had denied making the claims, Okonkwo maintained that written records existed to support his position and expressed confidence that the judicial process would determine the issues in dispute.
Okonkwo served as one of Peter Obi’s spokespersons during the 2023 presidential campaign before ending the alliance in 2024. Both politicians later joined the ADC, but Obi subsequently exited the coalition to become the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
