A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kenneth Okonkwo, has threatened to withhold support for the party’s 2027 presidential ticket if the South-East is excluded from both the presidential and vice-presidential positions.
Okonkwo, in a statement posted on his social media platforms on Monday, said he would not campaign for any presidential candidate that fails to accommodate the South-East in either of the nation’s top two political offices, warning that such a move would further entrench the region’s political marginalisation.
The former presidential campaign spokesman for Peter Obi in the 2023 presidential election was reacting to reports that the ADC had selected Rotimi Amechi, from the South-South, as its vice-presidential candidate, a development he described as unfortunate if confirmed.
According to him, the South-East remains the only geopolitical zone that has not produced either a president or vice president since Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999.
“I heard from 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 stated.
Okonkwo argued that denying the region the opportunity to hold either of the country’s two highest political offices in 2027 would perpetuate a long-standing injustice.
“This Geo-Political Zone has neither produced a President or Vice President since 1999. To deny the South-East the opportunity to produce the President or Vice President in ADC in 2027 will amount to perpetuating the marginalisation,” he said.
He also recalled that the ADC was founded by Ralphs Nwosu, an indigene of the South-East, stressing that the sacrifices made in building and repositioning the party should not result in the exclusion of the zone from leadership consideration.
“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.
Okonkwo further disclosed that he had previously appealed to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to demonstrate his commitment to South-East inclusion by selecting a running mate from the region.
“The only favour I asked Atiku Abubakar, who openly declared that he is the pathway to the presidency of the South-East, is to show it by choosing someone from the South-East to be his Vice,” he stated.
The comments come amid reports that the ADC has settled for former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as its vice-presidential candidate for the 2027 election, pairing him with Atiku Abubakar on what the party described as a “unity and rescue ticket”.
