ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The Labour Party (LP) has distanced itself from its former Presidential Campaign Council spokesman, Kenneth Okonkwo, saying that he is no longer a card-carrying member of the party.
This clarification was made by the National Secretary of the Labour Party, Umar Farouk, in an interview with Punch.
Farouk criticized Okonkwo’s political stance and advised him to return to his acting career in Nollywood, stating that he lacks the qualities of a good politician.
Farouk’s remarks came in response to a statement by Okonkwo, in which the former LP campaign spokesperson announced his resignation from the party, citing leadership crises and lack of preparedness for the 2027 elections.
“My entrance into politics is for good governance, and I will continue to work for it to ensure that Nigeria becomes a great country of incorruptible men. This aim can no longer be realized within the Labour Party as presently constituted.
“Since the party is non-existent as presently constituted, I am constrained to resign my membership of the party. To all Nigerians of goodwill who supported us when we needed them most, I pledge my continued loyalty to the Nigerian people in all I will decide to do in my political future,” Okonkwo stated.
He further hinted at joining another political platform after his resignation takes effect on February 25, 2025, the second anniversary of the 2023 presidential election.
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“After this date, I will be at liberty to join other well-meaning and like-minded Nigerians in charting a great future of good governance for this country,” he added.
Okonkwo accused the party’s leadership, particularly National Chairman Julius Abure, of prioritizing personal interests over the party’s survival.
He also lamented that the caretaker committee established to restore order in the party had been stalled by legal disputes.
“The tenure of the party’s leadership has long elapsed, and the caretaker committee set up to salvage the party has been hindered by unnecessary litigation,” he said.
He criticized the Abure-led faction for failing to protect the party’s elected officials, many of whom, he said have defected to other political parties.
“Isn’t it curious that a national executive of a political party whose elected members are defecting every day to other parties and who cannot wage legal battles to recover these seats for their party is instead waging ferocious legal battles to maintain their destructive, choking hold on the party?” he asked.
Reacting to Okonkwo’s resignation, Farouk dismissed his claims, stating that the actor was only seeking cheap popularity by repeatedly announcing his departure from the party.
“How many times is he going to resign from the party? Has he forgotten that he resigned about three, four, or five months ago?
“It is only when he wants to find relevance that he opens his mouth to start talking again,” Farouk said.
He also criticized Okonkwo’s history of party-switching, highlighting his past affiliations with the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and the All Progressives Congress (APC) before joining LP.
“Let him go. He has been in APGA, PDP, and APC. So what is he doing in the Labour Party? Let him carry his bag and return to Nollywood where he came from.
“He should leave us alone. He doesn’t deserve to be in any political party because he is not a good politician,” Farouk concluded.