16/06/2026
Nollywood actor and politician Kenneth Okonkwo has withdrawn his support for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar following the announcement of former Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, as his vice presidential running mate.
Okonkwo made his position known in a statement issued on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Monday, shortly after reports emerged that Atiku had selected Amaechi as his running mate for the 2027 presidential election.
Expressing concern over what he described as continued political marginalisation of the South-East, Okonkwo warned that the development, if confirmed, would further deepen regional imbalance in Nigeria’s political leadership.
“I heard from the social media that ADC has picked its vice presidential candidate from the South-South. If this is true, it is unfortunate, as this will continue the crude marginalisation of the South-East,” he wrote.
He argued that the South-East geopolitical zone has not produced either a President or Vice President since 1999, describing the situation as unjust and politically exclusionary.
Okonkwo also referenced the origins of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), noting that it was founded by Ralphs Nwosu, who hails from the South-East, and argued that the spirit of sacrifice behind recent coalition arrangements should not translate into exclusion of the region.
“The ADC was founded by Ralphs Nwosu from the South-East in 2005. He made the sacrifice to give up the party in 2025 for the coalition to usher in a better Nigeria. He couldn’t have made that sacrifice to marginalise his own people,” he said.
“The ADC was founded by Ralphs Nwosu from the South-East in 2005. He made the sacrifice to give up the party in 2025 for the coalition to usher in a better Nigeria. He couldn’t have made that sacrifice to marginalise his own people,” he said.
He further insisted that his involvement in politics was driven by the desire to promote fairness and inclusivity across all regions.
