Labour Party Turmoil Deepens as Kenneth Okonkwo Accuses Peter Obi of Betrayal

Kenneth Okonkwo, veteran actor and former spokesperson for the Labour Party’s presidential campaign, has leveled serious accusations against Peter Obi, the party’s former presidential candidate. In a viral interview released on Saturday, Okonkwo claimed that Obi betrayed him by siding with a faction of the party he had warned against.

Okonkwo, who resigned from the Labour Party in February 2025, revealed that Obi ignored his advice and returned to support the Julius Abure-led faction, which has been mired in controversy. According to Okonkwo, Obi was deceived by party executives who falsely told him that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recognized the Abure faction.

He said, “Any politician that knows what he’s doing cannot be betrayed by another. If there is anybody that betrayed the other, I can say it emphatically that Peter Obi betrayed me.” Okonkwo emphasized that despite Obi’s public stance on integrity, the Abure faction’s undemocratic actions disqualified them from his support.

Okonkwo recounted his warnings to Obi: “Sir, you have made a public statement on integrity and even if INEC has accepted them, that is not a criterion for you to go back and start dealing with them because they have shown that they are not democratic. If you go back to them, they will destroy your political career and everything you have said about integrity will die.”

He further described the faction as “agents in the hands of the government” aiming to destabilize Obi’s political influence. Okonkwo said he made his position clear to Obi and other party insiders, refusing to follow Obi back to the faction.

Despite these warnings, Obi publicly endorsed the Abure-led group, with Okonkwo receiving a mocking video from faction leaders showing Obi’s visit to their office. Okonkwo stated, “It was when INEC dissociated itself from Abure that Obi came out to start acting neutral but I told him he could not be neutral and something had to be done.”

The Labour Party remains divided, with the Abure faction facing accusations of financial mismanagement and anti-democratic conduct. Okonkwo’s departure from the party earlier this year was motivated by these internal conflicts and his commitment to political integrity.