A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kenneth Okonkwo, has explained why no politician from the South-East was eligible to emerge as the running mate to the party's 2027 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
Okonkwo said although he had preferred that the vice presidential slot go to the South-East, the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 made it impossible because the region's preferred politicians were not registered members of the ADC before the party's presidential primary.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, the former spokesperson of Peter Obi said his earlier comments on the vice presidential selection were based on geopolitical considerations and not opposition to the eventual choice of former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.
"Amaechi Is The Party's Choice"
Okonkwo stressed that Amaechi's emergence as the ADC vice presidential candidate was the party's decision and deserved the support of all loyal members.
"First and foremost, he is the choice of the party and everybody that is a loyal party member," he said.
He explained that while he would have preferred a candidate from the South-East, the law required anyone seeking elective office to have been a registered member of the party at least 21 days before the primary election.
"I said I expected that the Vice President should come from South-East. It was a geopolitical expression, not the person of anybody. I 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, so the people from the South-East that I would have preferred, strictly speaking, were not even registered members," he stated.
Peter Obi's Exit Created Confusion – Okonkwo
Okonkwo said the departure of Peter Obi from the ADC created uncertainty within the South-East, making it difficult for the region to present a viable vice presidential candidate.
According to him, only a few politicians had indicated interest in contesting the party's presidential ticket before the primary.
"Rotimi Amaechi, Hayatu-deen, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi were the people showing interest in the presidential election. When Peter Obi left, the South-East was thrown into confusion," he said.
He added that Amaechi's strong performance at the party's primary, where he reportedly secured more than 500 votes, made it politically difficult to overlook him.
"Amaechi got over 500 votes in the primary. You cannot alienate those supporters," Okonkwo noted.
Calls For Better Consultation
Despite backing Amaechi's nomination, Okonkwo argued that the party leadership should have consulted South-East stakeholders before announcing the vice presidential candidate.
He said such consultations would have helped the region better understand the reasons behind the decision and communicate them to their supporters.
Okonkwo also disclosed that Atiku Abubakar was out of the country when the vice presidential announcement was made, adding that the former Vice President immediately initiated consultations upon his return.
"Atiku was not in Nigeria when the party made the announcement. When he came back, everything was halted. He went into dialogue and called all the parties. That is the beauty of this great democrat," he said.