Peter Obi Betrayed Me, Atiku Saw My Value Despite My Criticism — Kenneth Okonkwo
Nollywood actor-turned-politician, Kenneth Okonkwo, has accused his former principal, Peter Obi, of betraying him, while praising former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for recognising his value despite his past criticisms of him.
Okonkwo, a former spokesperson for Obi during the 2023 presidential campaign, made the remarks on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, barely a day after he was appointed spokesperson for Atiku Abubakar, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
Explaining the breakdown of his relationship with Obi, Okonkwo said he publicly distanced himself from the former Anambra State governor in 2024 after concluding that Obi lacked the decisiveness needed to lead Nigeria.
According to him, he openly expressed his views after ending his role as Obi’s spokesperson, insisting that he was no longer speaking on the former presidential candidate’s behalf.
“I’ve seen in him certain qualities that make him unfit to be the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I made it public. By then, I had finished my job with him… He was the one who betrayed me,” Okonkwo said.
The actor-turned-politician contrasted Obi’s reaction with that of Atiku, saying the former vice president overlooked his previous criticisms because he believed he had something valuable to contribute to Nigeria.
Okonkwo revealed that despite being informed about his past comments against Atiku, the former vice president maintained that he saw his commitment and determination to help build a better Nigeria.
According to him, Atiku’s willingness to embrace people based on their abilities rather than their past criticisms reflects his leadership style and ability to identify talent.
He also described Atiku as a leader who had discovered and nurtured prominent public figures, including Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Professor Charles Soludo and Nasir El-Rufai.
The comments come amid an ongoing legal dispute between Okonkwo and Obi.
The former Labour Party spokesman had previously alleged that Obi and others received bribes from House of Representatives aspirants. Obi, through his lawyers, denied the allegations, demanded a public apology, retraction and N5 billion in damages before filing a defamation suit at the Anambra State High Court after Okonkwo failed to comply.
Reacting to the lawsuit, Okonkwo described the legal action as unnecessary and accused Obi of turning against someone who had worked tirelessly for him during the 2023 election campaign.
He maintained that he did not defame Obi, insisting that his allegations were backed by documentary evidence, which he said would be presented at the appropriate time in court.
Okonkwo also criticised Obi for pursuing legal action against him while allegedly ignoring similar criticisms from anonymous individuals, arguing that the former presidential candidate was unfairly targeting identifiable critics.
The former spokesperson served in Obi’s presidential campaign during the 2023 general election before parting ways with him in 2024. Both politicians later joined the ADC before Obi subsequently left the coalition to join the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
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