The spokesperson for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, Kenneth Okonkwo, has dismissed reports suggesting he opposed the emergence of former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, as the party’s vice-presidential candidate.
Okonkwo also revealed that Atiku acknowledged his value despite his past criticisms of the former vice president, while accusing his former principal and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, of betraying him.
Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television on Thursday, Okonkwo clarified that his earlier comments regarding the vice-presidential position were based on his preference for a candidate from the South-East and were never directed against Amaechi personally.
“I do not know where you got that from,” he said when asked whether he still opposed Amaechi’s nomination.
He expressed support for the party’s decision, stressing that loyalty to the ADC required members to stand behind its chosen candidates.
“First and foremost, he is the choice of the party and everybody that is a loyal party member,” he said.
Okonkwo explained that although he believed the vice-presidential slot should have gone to the South-East, the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 restricted the pool of eligible candidates.
According to him, only individuals who had been registered members of the party at least 21 days before the primary election were qualified to contest.
“I said I expected that the vice president should come from the South-East. It was a geopolitical expression, not directed at anybody personally. I also understood the limitations within the Electoral Act 2026. For anybody to be eligible to contest, you must have been a member 21 days before the primary. The people from the South-East whom I would have preferred were not even registered members, so we were restricted,” he explained.
He disclosed that before the party’s presidential primary, the major contenders were Atiku Abubakar, Rotimi Amaechi, Hayatu-deen and Peter Obi.
“Rotimi Amaechi, Hayatu-deen, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi were the people showing interest in contesting the presidential election. When Peter Obi left, the South-East was thrown into confusion, and you have to pick a vice president who has shown the willingness to undertake the demanding task of campaigning across the country,” he said.
Okonkwo argued that Amaechi’s impressive performance during the presidential primary, where he secured more than 500 votes, made it politically impossible for the party to ignore his supporters.
“Amaechi got over 500 votes in the primary. You cannot alienate those supporters,” he stated.
Despite backing the final decision, he maintained that the ADC leadership should have engaged stakeholders from the South-East before settling on the vice-presidential candidate.
According to him, such consultations would have enabled leaders from the region to properly explain the circumstances to their supporters.
“What I was agitating for was that even if there were constraints, the people of the South-East should have been brought together and informed about those constraints. That way, they would know what to tell their people,” he said.
Okonkwo further disclosed that Atiku was outside Nigeria when the party initially announced its vice-presidential candidate and only began consultations after returning to the country.
He said the presidential candidate immediately suspended further action on the issue and initiated discussions with all relevant stakeholders.
“Atiku was not in Nigeria when the party made the announcement. He travelled, and when he returned, he did the needful. If you recall, everything was halted. He went into dialogue and called all the parties. That is the beauty of this great democrat,” he said.
