Kenneth Okonkwo explains why ADC chose Amaechi over South East partner for Atiku

Spokesperson for African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential aspirant, Atiku Abubakar, Kenneth Okonkwo, has explained why the party chose former Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, as its vice presidential candidate instead of selecting a running mate from the South East.

Okonkwo also dismissed claims that he opposed Amaechi’s candidacy, insisting that his previous comments reflected a geopolitical position and not a personal objection to the former Rivers State governor.

Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television on Thursday, the former actor and lawyer stated that he fully supports the party’s decision and remains loyal to its leadership.

Responding to allegations that he rejected Amaechi’s emergence as Atiku’s running mate, Okonkwo said, “I don’t know where you got that from.”

He emphasized that the choice of vice presidential candidate is in the hands of the party and must be respected by all members.

“First and foremost, he is the choice of the party and everyone who is a loyal member of the party,” he added.

Clarifying his earlier position, Okonkwo said his preference was for the South East region which would produce a vice presidential candidate, but explained that legal requirements under the Electoral Act significantly narrowed the range of eligible vice presidential candidates.

“I said, I hope the Vice President comes from the Southeast. That’s an expression of geopolitics, not anyone, and of course I understand the limitations in the 2026 Election Law. Remember, anyone who can take part in the election must have become a member 21 days before the primary election, so the people from the Southeast that I chose, strictly speaking, are not registered members, so we are limiting it,” he said.

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According to him, only a handful of candidates showed serious interest in participating in the party’s presidential primaries before the competition finally narrowed.

“Rotimi Amaechi, Hayatu-deen, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, they were the ones who showed interest in contesting the presidential election, and then when Peter Obi left, the South East was thrown into confusion, and you have to elect a vice president who has attracted such interest that he wants to start the arduous task of campaigning across the country,” he said.

Okonkwo argued that Amaechi’s impressive performance during the presidential primaries made it politically difficult for the party to ignore him or his supporters in the final tally.

“Amaechi got up to 500 voters and those are voters in the primaries, you can’t alienate them,” he said.

While accepting the results, Okonkwo stated that party leaders should engage with stakeholders from the South East region before taking a final decision on the vice presidential candidate.

“What makes me nervous is that even if you have obstacles, you have to take the people of the Southeast and sit down with them and say, look, these are my obstacles. Then they will know what they are going to tell their people,” he said.

He also revealed that Atiku Abubakar was out of Nigeria when news of his vice presidential candidacy first emerged, noting that the former Vice President moved quickly to consult with party stakeholders immediately upon returning to the country.

“Atiku was not in Nigeria when the party made the announcement, he was travelling, so when he came, he did the needful. If you remember, and that is the beauty of this great democrat. When he came, everything stopped. When he came, he had a dialogue, called all the parties,” he said.

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