Nollywood actor and politician Kenneth Okonkwo has withdrawn his support for the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, citing the continued marginalisation of the South-East geopolitical zone.
His decision follows the announcement by the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, confirming former Rivers State Governor and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, as Atiku’s running mate for the 2027 presidential election.
Reacting to the development, Okonkwo said any arrangement that excludes the South-East from the two highest executive offices in the country would amount to a continuation of the region’s marginalisation.
He noted that the South-East has not produced either a President or Vice President since the return of democracy in 1999 and argued that the region deserves representation on the ADC presidential ticket.
Okonkwo further stated that the founder of the ADC, Ralphs Nwosu, who is from the South-East, did not relinquish control of the party in 2025 to facilitate the exclusion of his own region from national leadership.
According to him, he cannot support any political arrangement that sidelines the South-East and would therefore not campaign for a presidential ticket that does not include a candidate from the region as either President or Vice President.
In a statement shared on his official X account, Okonkwo said:
“I heard from social media that the ADC has picked its vice-presidential candidate from the South-South. If this is true, it is unfortunate, as it would continue the crude marginalisation of the South-East.
“This geopolitical zone has neither produced a President nor a Vice President since 1999. To deny the South-East the opportunity to produce either the President or Vice President on the ADC ticket in 2027 would amount to perpetuating that marginalisation.
“The ADC was founded by Ralphs Nwosu from the South-East in 2005. He made the sacrifice of giving up the party in 2025 to support the coalition and help build a better Nigeria. He could not have made that sacrifice only for his people to remain marginalised.
“I did not join the coalition to assist in the further marginalisation of my people. In my view, if the South-East has already sacrificed both the National Chairman position and the presidential ticket, it would amount to an unpardonable injustice to deny the region the vice-presidential slot in 2027.
“I joined politics to fight for a better Nigeria where no region, geopolitical zone, or individual is marginalised.
“The only favour I asked of Atiku Abubakar, who publicly declared himself the pathway to a South-East presidency, was to demonstrate that commitment by choosing a running mate from the South-East.
“If it is confirmed that he has chosen a candidate from the South-South, I wish him well. However, I am not favourably disposed to campaigning for any presidential ticket that does not have a person of South-East origin as either President or Vice President in 2027.”
