Kenneth Okonkwo, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), claimed that the votes were cast for the presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress, Petar Obiin the 2027 general elections may ultimately go in favor of President Bola Tinubu.
Okonkwo made the statement during an interview with Symfoni TV on Wednesday, where he stressed the need for opposition forces to rally under one political platform if they hope to unseat the president.
According to him, a divided opposition would only weaken its chances and increase Tinubu’s likelihood of securing another term.
He explained that supporting various opposition candidates would mean an indirect strengthening of the ruling party.
“The reason I said that is because you either work for Tinuba directly, in other words, you are in APC, or you work for Tinuba indirectly because when you divide the votes of the coalition and the opposition, you still make Tinuba a better place to win,” he said.
Okonkwo also criticized Obi’s alleged withdrawal from the ADC coalition discussions, stating that the former Anambra governor did not want to participate in the competitive primaries.
“Nobody forced Peter Obi to enter the ADC. He went in alone, and a week before closing time, he came out and gave the reason,” he said.
He added that political ambition requires stamina, arguing that avoiding intra-party competition is not ideal for someone seeking national leadership.
“You can’t compete in the primaries, and you want to be a politician. You want to be the president of a challenging country, but you run away from challenges,” he said.
Okonkwo further stated that Senator Victor Umeh once suggested that the South East’s best chance to produce a president would be through a political alliance with northern leaders.
“When we were all entering the ADC, Victor Umeh made it clear to me and spoke directly to me that the only chance Igbo people have is to join the North and have our brother Peter Obi as the Vice President,” he said.
He also claimed that Umeh believes that Obi is resistant to political persuasion.
“I said to him, ‘Did you tell Obi?’ He said yes, but that Peter Obi is very stubborn. That if you tell him anything, he won’t believe it, but will keep trying,” Okonkwo added.
In closing, Okonkwo called on opposition supporters to consider the implications of vote splitting before the 2027 elections, warning that it could work to the advantage of the ruling party.
“Let me tell you the truth, in 2027, whoever votes for Peter Obi will vote for Tinubu,” he declared.
Watch the video here…
A vote for Peter Obi in 2027 is a vote for Tinubu
– ADC boss, Kenneth Okonkwo.
Video credit: Symfoni TV // YouTube pic.twitter.com/g4g1ReTTRv
— Vanguard Newspapers (@vanguardngrnews) June 4, 2026
