Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesperson for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, has clarified that no individual from the South-East was eligible to be chosen as the party’s vice presidential candidate due to provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.
Okonkwo, who had earlier criticised the choice of former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as Atiku’s running mate, spoke on Channels Television on Thursday to refute claims that he opposed Amaechi’s selection .
Electoral Act constraints
Okonkwo explained that the Electoral Act 2026 requires any aspirant to have been a registered member of their party at least 21 days before the primary election . According to him, preferred candidates from the South-East were not registered ADC members at the time, which restricted the party’s options .
“I said I expected that the Vice President should come from South-East. It was a geopolitical expression, not the person of anybody, and of course I understood the limitations within the Electoral Act 2026,” Okonkwo stated .
Peter Obi’s exit and Amaechi’s primary performance
Okonkwo noted that before the party’s presidential primary, the main contenders were Atiku Abubakar, Rotimi Amaechi, Hayatu-deen and Peter Obi .
He argued that Peter Obi’s departure from the race “threw the South-East into confusion” and weakened the zone’s chances of producing the vice presidential candidate . Meanwhile, Amaechi secured over 500 votes at the primary, making it politically difficult for the party to overlook his support base .
“Amaechi got up to 500 and something voters in the primary, you cannot alienate them,” Okonkwo said .
Call for consultation
While acknowledging the legal constraints, Okonkwo maintained that the party leadership should have engaged South-East stakeholders before reaching a final decision on the running mate .
“What I was agitating is that even if you have constraints, you ought to get the people of South-East and sit down with them and say, look, these are my constraints. Then they will know what they will present to their people,” he said .
Atiku’s role in the decision
Okonkwo disclosed that Atiku was outside Nigeria when the party initially announced the vice presidential candidate and, upon his return, halted proceedings to consult with all parties involved .
“Atiku was not in Nigeria when the party made the announcement, he traveled, so when he came in, he did the needful. When he came in, he went into dialogue, called all the parties,” Okonkwo said, praising the former vice president’s leadership approach .
Loyalty to the party
Okonkwo affirmed that as a loyal party member, he accepts Amaechi as the party’s vice presidential candidate and will support the ticket .
“First and foremost, he is the choice of the party and everybody that is a loyal party member,” Okonkwo said when asked if he supports Amaechi .
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