Kenneth Okonkwo says no South-East politician met the legal requirements to become Atiku Abubakar’s running mate before the ADC primary
Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesperson for the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has explained that no politician from Nigeria’s South-East was legally eligible to emerge as the party’s vice presidential candidate before the 2027 election.
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Okonkwo made the clarification during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he dismissed reports that he opposed the selection of former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi as Atiku’s running mate.
The actor-turned-politician said his earlier comments reflected a geopolitical preference for a South-East candidate rather than opposition to Amaechi’s nomination.
“I do not know where you got that from,” Okonkwo said when asked whether he still rejected the Atiku-Amaechi ticket.
He stressed that Amaechi’s nomination represents the decision of the party and deserves the support of loyal members.
“First and foremost, he is the choice of the party and everybody that is a loyal party member,” he said.
Okonkwo explained that the Electoral Act 2026 requires anyone seeking elective office to have been a registered member of a political party at least 21 days before the primary election, making potential South-East aspirants ineligible.
“I said I expected that the Vice President should come from South-East. It was a geopolitical expression, not the person of anybody, and of course I understood the limitations within the Electoral Act 2026. Remember, for anybody to be eligible to contest, you must have been a member 21 days before the primary, so the people from the South-East that I would have preferred, strictly speaking, were not even registered members, so we are restricted.”
According to him, the party’s presidential contest initially featured Atiku Abubakar, Rotimi Amaechi, Hayatu-deen and Peter Obi before Obi exited the race.
Okonkwo argued that Amaechi’s strong performance during the party primary also influenced the eventual decision.
“Amaechi got up to 500 and something voters in the primary. You cannot alienate them.”
While defending the choice, Okonkwo said he had expected the party leadership to engage stakeholders from the South-East before announcing the vice presidential candidate.
He said such consultations would have helped explain the legal and political constraints surrounding the decision.
Okonkwo also disclosed that Atiku was outside Nigeria when the initial announcement was made and later intervened after returning to the country.
“Atiku was not in Nigeria when the party made the announcement. When he came in, everything was halted. When he came in, he went into dialogue, called all the parties.”
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The clarification comes days after reports suggested Okonkwo had rejected the ADC presidential ticket over the selection of Amaechi, claims he has now denied while reaffirming his support for the party’s decision.
