Nollywood actor cum politician, Kenneth Okonkwo, has claimed that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will choose the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in 2027 if Julius Abure continues as national chairman.
Naija News reports that Okonkwo made this known in an interview on Arise TV.
He described Abure’s leadership approach as transactional politics, stressing that the LP, as presently constituted, is now a ‘housemaid’ to the ruling APC.
The movie star, who served as LP’s presidential campaign spokesperson in the 2023 elections, recounted how Abure withdrew the tickets earlier reserved for the former governor of Anambra state, Peter Obi and Abia governor, Alex Otti, ahead of the 2027 elections.
He said, “In a nation like Nigeria, where the ruling party is looking for any way to make sure they compromise the opposition, you do not have the leisure of time.
“I can tell you that Labour Party as presently constituted is now a housemaid to APC. The 2027 presidential candidate of the Labour Party will be decided on the table of APC.
“We know their moves. They are meeting the people now who help people to win cases in court.
“Because if nobody from your party is supporting you, then who are you now trying to become a chairman to?
“Remember, when Abure went to Nnewi to do the illegal election, in my own view (because) the supreme court has not ruled. He said the ticket is reserved for Peter Obi.
“I said in this programme back then that this is bribery; that he wants to use it to make Peter Obi to close his eyes on the illegality they’re doing.
“When their tenure ended, it was not even Peter Obi that said their tenure has ended. It was INEC, and they were disgraced out.
“That comes to the culpability of INEC; if INEC said their tenure has ended, why did they not accept the caretaker committee?
“Now, when Peter Obi went to Umuahia to do the right thing, what did Abure say? No, the ticket is no longer reserved.
“What does that tell you? These are transactional politicians who have no policy, who have no principle, but what they are doing there is to trade.
“He said, Otti, we don’t have ticket for you. Who do you think they are reserving the ticket for? Let me give you a poser.
“The deputy speaker of the national assembly told Otti, look, I would not sit down as a man of the ruling party and allow the opposition to govern Abia state.
“And then there is an Abure that is saying that ticket is no longer reserved for you and they are winning cases in court.
“The witch cried in the night and the baby died in the day. What do you think is happening? It’s not an indictment, he said it openly but I can see the nexus.
“Every ticket in the Labour Party is reserved for APC people and I have told you about the nexus. It’s not by accident.”