Former Labour Party spokesperson and Nollywood actor-turned-politician, Kenneth Okonkwo, has accused former presidential candidate Peter Obi of betraying him, while praising former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for recognising his potential despite his previous criticisms.
Okonkwo made the remarks on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, barely 24 hours after his appointment as spokesperson for Atiku, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
Explaining his fallout with Obi, Okonkwo said he severed ties with the former Anambra State governor in 2024 after concluding that he lacked the decisiveness needed to govern Nigeria.
According to him, he publicly announced the end of their political relationship to make it clear he was no longer speaking on Obi’s behalf.
“I had already finished my assignment with him and moved on. He was the one who betrayed me,” Okonkwo stated.
He contrasted Obi’s actions with Atiku’s response to his past criticisms, saying the former vice president chose to focus on his commitment to national development rather than his previous comments.
Okonkwo revealed that despite warnings from associates about his criticism of Atiku, the former vice president believed he could contribute positively to Nigeria’s progress and welcomed him into his political camp.
He also described Atiku as a leader with a track record of identifying and nurturing talented individuals, citing personalities such as Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Charles Soludo and Nasir El-Rufai as examples.
The comments come as both politicians remain locked in a legal dispute.
Earlier this year, Okonkwo alleged that Obi and others received bribes from aspirants seeking tickets to contest for seats in the House of Representatives.
Obi, through his legal team, rejected the allegations as false and defamatory, demanding a public apology, retraction and ₦5 billion in damages.
After Okonkwo failed to comply within the stipulated period, Obi filed a defamation suit against him at the Anambra State High Court in Onitsha in June 2026.
Reacting to the lawsuit, Okonkwo described the legal action as unnecessary, arguing that Obi only chose to sue him after they had parted ways politically.
He questioned Obi’s decision to institute the case despite the role he played during the 2023 presidential campaign, insisting that he had remained loyal throughout their political association.
Okonkwo also rejected claims that he defamed Obi, maintaining that his allegations were based on information from identifiable sources and supported by documentary evidence.
He argued that the documents in his possession would speak for themselves when the matter is heard in court, insisting that he had no case to answer.
Okonkwo served as one of Obi’s spokespersons during the 2023 presidential election campaign before leaving the Labour Party in 2024. Both politicians later joined the ADC, but Obi subsequently exited the coalition and aligned with the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
