Nollywood actor and lawyer, Kenneth Okonkwo, has weighed in on the swirling rumours of a possible political alliance between former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party’s Peter Obi ahead of the 2027 general election.

 

Speaking in an interview, Okonkwo — a prominent member of the Labour Party — emphasized that any political discussions or negotiations between the two leaders should be their personal decision. However, he maintained that every aspirant must go through a transparent and competitive primary process to earn a party’s presidential ticket.

 

“In politics, candidates have the choice to get into their own discussions and negotiations,” Okonkwo said. “But for me, my own take is that whoever believes that he is qualified to be president should submit himself to a free and fair primary election.”

 

He stressed that party primaries are not only a constitutional requirement but also serve as a critical test of a candidate’s popularity and resilience before facing the broader electorate.

 

“That toughness that we are going to face in the primary will determine the person that has the capacity to face the tough challenge in the general election,” he explained.

 

Rejecting the idea of backdoor arrangements or pressured withdrawals in favour of coalition-building, Okonkwo added, “I am not in the league of people trying to persuade anybody to step down for anybody. That should be the decision of the candidate himself.

 

“This is because I would not want anybody to come out and say, ‘I am leaving this coalition or this party because I was pressured to give up my ambition.’”

 

While the idea of a political alliance between Atiku and Obi has been a topic of growing speculation and debate, Okonkwo’s comments underscore a broader call within the Labour Party for internal democracy and merit-based leadership selection.

 

“So, whatever Atiku and Obi are discussing should be left for them, but for me, whoever wants to contest the presidency should submit himself and contest for the presidency — and let the people decide,” he concluded.