A lawyer and spokesperson for the Labour Party (LP) Presidential Campaign Organisation in the 2023 general elections, Kenneth Okonkwo, has dumped the party.
Okonkwo said he could no longer continue to speak on behalf of a leader that he does not know his stand on issues of great importance to the nation.
Okonkwo joined the LP in 2022.
In a statement on Sunday, Okonkwo, said the party’s presidential candidate in 2023, Peter Obi, lacks leadership and cannot sustain victory even if he wins, adding “I simply don’t know how to manipulate facts.”
The statement titled ‘My Political Journey to a Great Nigeria’, announced his decision to dump the Labour Party reads:
“Every member of the Labour Party is confused today as to the future of the Labour Party because of lack of leadership from PO over the party, and unfortunately, when they look up to me to tell them about PO’s standpoint, I sincerely have nothing to tell them because I don’t know myself.
“I cannot continue to speak on behalf of a leader that I do not know his stand on issues of great importance. I simply don’t know how to manipulate facts.
“I am shocked that PO could not openly support the noble efforts of the Labour Unions who founded the Labour Party as a base to fight for the welfare of workers to the extent that some of them are openly saying that PO is now the problem of LP.
“The Labour Unions now have the unfortunate situation where they are fighting criminals who want to hijack their party when an ordinary statement from PO would have brought the solution. I cannot continue with this ambivalence forever.
“I am of course in full support of the Labour Unions and other stakeholders who are now compelled to fight for the soul of LP without the support of PO.
“However, the consequence is that I no longer have the confidence that PO has what it takes to build a party that can win these kakistocrats and kleptocrats, and above all, he has proved that even if the people vote for him, he doesn’t have what it takes to secure the mandate.
“I don’t intend to embark on such a campaign as we did in 2023, projecting a person who cannot sustain the victory even if he wins.”