“Peter Obi Betrayed Me” — Kenneth Okonkwo Breaks Silence on Labour Party Rift

Veteran Nollywood actor and former spokesperson for the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, Kenneth Okonkwo, has publicly accused former presidential candidate Peter Obi of betrayal over Obi’s renewed alliance with the embattled Julius Abure-led faction of the party.

In a widely circulated interview with Symfoni, now trending on social media platforms, Okonkwo expressed disappointment over Obi’s decision to return to a faction of the party Okonkwo described as “undemocratic” and “compromised.”

“If there is anybody that betrayed the other, I can say it emphatically that Peter Obi betrayed me,” Okonkwo declared. “The Abure-led Labour Party executives lied to Obi that INEC had accepted them, and despite my warnings, he surreptitiously went back to endorse them.”

Okonkwo explained that he had advised Obi not to re-align with the Abure group, citing allegations of financial mismanagement and anti-democratic practices leveled against them.

“I told him clearly — even if INEC had accepted them, that should not be the reason to go back. These people will destroy your political career and everything you’ve said about integrity will collapse,” he added.

The former LP spokesperson said he had alerted Obi’s inner circle, making it known that he would not continue with the party if Obi chose to stand with the Abure-led group. Despite this, Okonkwo said Obi proceeded to visit Abure’s faction publicly, an act that Okonkwo said left him mocked by those he had tried to oppose.

“One of the leaders even sent me the video of Obi at their office to mock me — the same people I was fighting against, Obi went to endorse,” he lamented.

He further revealed that it was only after INEC publicly dissociated itself from the Abure-led faction that Obi began to act neutral, but Okonkwo insists that the damage had already been done.

The Labour Party has been mired in an internal leadership crisis for months, with multiple factions laying claim to the party’s structure and legitimacy. Okonkwo officially resigned from the party in February 2025, citing the party’s internal contradictions and what he termed as betrayal of its founding ideals.

Peter Obi is yet to respond publicly to Okonkwo’s allegations as of press time.