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Kenneth Okonkwo, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has claimed that votes cast for the Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in the 2027 general election may ultimately work in favour of President Bola Tinubu.
Okonkwo made the statement during an interview with Symfoni TV on Wednesday, where he emphasised the need for opposition forces to come together 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 in office.
He explained that supporting different opposition candidates would amount to indirectly strengthening the ruling party.
“The reason I said it is that either you’re working for Tinubu directly, in other words, you’re in APC, or you’re working for Tinubu indirectly because when you divide the votes of the coalition and the opposition, you’re still making Tinubu better placed to win,” he said.
Okonkwo also criticised Obi’s reported withdrawal from ADC coalition discussions, alleging that the former Anambra governor was unwilling to participate in a competitive primary election.
“Nobody forced Peter Obi to enter ADC. He entered on his own, and one week to the end of the closure of the time, he left and gave the reason,” he said.
He added that political ambition requires endurance, arguing that avoiding internal party competition is not ideal for someone seeking national leadership.
“You can’t compete in a primary and you want to be a politician. You want to be the president of a challenged country, and you’re running away from challenge,” he said.
Okonkwo further alleged that Senator Victor Umeh had once suggested that the South-East’s best chance of producing a president would be through a political alliance with northern leaders.
“When we were all entering ADC, Victor Umeh made it clear and spoke to me directly that the only chance the Igbo people have is to align with the North and for our brother Peter Obi to be a vice president,” he said.
He also claimed that Umeh believed Obi was resistant to political persuasion.
“I told him, ‘Have you told Obi?’ He said yes, but that Peter Obi is very stubborn. That if you tell him anything, he would not believe but would continue to try,” Okonkwo added.
Concluding, Okonkwo urged opposition supporters to consider the implications of vote splitting ahead of the 2027 elections, warning that it could favour the ruling party.
“Let me tell you the truth, in 2027, anybody voting any vote whatsoever to Peter Obi, you’re voting for Tinubu,” he stated.
Watch the video here…
A vote for Peter Obi in 2027 is a vote for Tinubu
– ADC Chieftain, Kenneth Okonkwo.
Video Credit : Symfoni TV // YouTube pic.twitter.com/g4g1ReTTRv
— Vanguard Newspapers (@vanguardngrnews) June 4, 2026