Kenneth Okonkwo, a spokesperson for Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has stated that collaborating with Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), puts people at risk of experiencing a post-political identity crisis.
According to Naija News, Okonkwo made this revelation in response to Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, a former vise presidential candidate for the Labor Party (LP), asserting that none of the front-runners for president in the 2027 election, including Peter Obi, are capable of improving Nigeria.
In an interview on Arise TV’s Daybreak on Tuesday, Okonkwo defended Datti, speculating that the former LP leader might be experiencing a post-political identity crisis following his role as Peter Obi’s running mate in the 2023 presidential contest.
Okonkwo claims that Baba-Ahmed’s impression of the former governor of Anambra State may have been influenced by his encounter with Peter Obi and the disintegration of the LP political system.
The Nollywood actor-turned-politician claims that participants in the 2023 campaign had high hopes that Peter Obi’s political movement would result in a new political course for Nigeria.
According to Okonkwo, the unprecedented level of support that Peter Obi garnered during the 2023 election was due to the fact that many people joined the movement more for their potential contributions than for their potential gains.
However, he blamed Peter Obi’s “incompetence and incapacity” to run the Labor Party’s business for some movement members’ eventual disillusionment.
“I can tell you that he may be experiencing what I refer to as a post-political identity crisis, and I understand why he made his comment about Peter Obi because we were in the same trenches together,” he stated.
“You run the risk of experiencing that after working with Peter Obi because we all arrived in 2023 with great expectations and believed that a new Nigeria had been born.”
“I witnessed people joining an association for the first time in my life because of what they could offer, while no one was discussing what they could take or receive.
Therefore, everyone will experience political trauma if such an affiliation ends the way the Labor Party did. This is because the political leader’s inability and incompetence were discussed, and Peter Obi was then called in to handle the issues.
“People are willing to help you when everything is provided for you.” They were prepared to supply resources. Leadership is the only thing they were requesting. And you were unable to supply it.
Okonkwo also cited Datti’s remarks that he could no longer support Peter Obi following the Labor Party experience, characterizing them as proof that the former vise presidential candidate had lost faith in the former Anambra State governor.
“That’s why, in his own words, Baba-Ahmed said he couldn’t do anything again for Peter Obi after the Labor Party,” he continued. To put it another way, I lost faith in him following the events in the Labor Party. I was present alongside him.
