![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.funminews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-77-1-1024x576.webp?resize=696%2C392&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nOkonkwo added that excluding the South-East from both the presidential and vice-presidential slots in 2027 would be \u201can unpardonable injustice.\u201d He also referenced his earlier appeal to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, urging him to demonstrate his claim of being a bridge to South-East aspirations by choosing a running mate from the region. \u201cThe only favour I asked Atiku Abubakar is to demonstrate it by choosing someone from the South-East as his vice,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His comments have sparked reactions across social media and among political stakeholders. \u201cHow long will the South-East be treated as outsiders in their own country? Kenneth is right,\u201d wrote one user. Another countered: \u201cOkonkwo is playing ethnic politics. Nigeria needs competence, not zoning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe said, \u201cThis exclusion is unacceptable. The South-East must be part of Nigeria\u2019s leadership equation.\u201d An ADC insider, speaking anonymously, defended the reported choice: \u201cThe decision was strategic. We need votes from the South-South to challenge APC.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Opinion leaders also weighed in. Political economist Pat Utomi said, \u201cEquity is the foundation of democracy. Ignoring the South-East again risks deepening national divisions.\u201d Former PDP spokesman Olisa Metuh added, \u201cKenneth Okonkwo is speaking the minds of millions of Igbos. The injustice is glaring.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voices from the Igbo community echoed the sentiment. \u201cWe have sacrificed enough. Why can\u2019t they give us even the vice president?\u201d asked Ngozi Eze, a trader in Onitsha. A youth activist in Enugu warned, \u201cIf ADC ignores us, we will ignore them at the polls.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Others across Nigeria offered different perspectives. A northern commentator said, \u201cPolitics is about numbers. The South-East must build alliances instead of demanding entitlement.\u201d A South-West analyst noted, \u201cOkonkwo\u2019s warning is valid. Nigeria cannot continue to marginalise one region and expect unity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The controversy underscores Nigeria\u2019s unresolved struggle with power rotation and inclusivity, raising questions about how opposition parties will balance regional demands ahead of the 2027 elections.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Kenneth Okonkwo, Nollywood actor and former Labour Party presidential campaign spokesman, has rejected reports that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has settled its 2027 presidential ticket, warning that the move could deepen what he described as the longstanding political marginalisation of Nigeria\u2019s South-East. Okonkwo said he learned through social media that the party had allegedly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":33285,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3699,25,4,458,3,1138],"tags":[1622,1754,11781,16971,19297,1465],"class_list":["post-33281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-africa","category-entertainment","category-featured","category-legal","category-naija-news","category-politics","tag-2027-elections","tag-african-democratic-congress","tag-atiku-abubakar","tag-igbo-politics","tag-kenneth-okonkwo","tag-nigerian-democracy"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.funminews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Kenneth-Okonkwo.png?fit=1024%2C579&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33281"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33281\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33299,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33281\/revisions\/33299"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33285"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.funminews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG-20250730-WA0047.jpg?resize=588%2C292&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.funminews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/African-Democratic-Congress-ADC.webp?resize=696%2C339&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n