Kenneth Okonkwo, a former spokesperson for the Labour Party (LP) presidential campaign council, has formally announced his resignation from the party, citing deep-seated leadership crises and a lack of direction.
Okonkwo, who played a significant role in the LP’s 2023 presidential campaign, stated that his decision stemmed from the party’s inability to promote good governance, which he described as his primary motivation for entering politics.
“My entrance into politics is for good governance, and I will continue to work towards that goal to ensure Nigeria becomes a great country of incorruptible men. This aim can no longer be realized within the Labour Party as presently constituted,” he said in a statement.
The veteran Nollywood actor-turned-politician further declared that the Labour Party, in its current form, was “non-existent” and had lost its ability to serve the interests of Nigerians.
“Since the party is non-existent as presently constituted, I am constrained to resign my membership of the party to all Nigerians of goodwill who supported us when we needed them most and to pledge my continued loyalty to the Nigerian people in all I will decide to do in my political future,” Okonkwo added.
He revealed that his resignation would take effect from February 25, 2025, which marks the second anniversary of the 2023 presidential election. After that date, he said he would be free to align with like-minded individuals in pursuit of good governance.
“This resignation takes effect from the 25th of February, 2025, which marks the second anniversary of the presidential election of 2023, after which I will be at liberty to join other well-meaning and like-minded Nigerians in charting a great future of good governance for this great country blessed by God,” he said.
Okonkwo’s exit comes amid ongoing turmoil within the Labour Party. He criticized the party’s national chairman, Julius Abure, accusing him of prioritizing personal interests over the party’s stability and growth.
According to him, the tenure of the LP’s leadership expired long ago, and attempts to restructure the party through a caretaker committee had been blocked by legal battles.
His grievances with the Labour Party were not new. In June 2024, he likened the party to “a secret society led by a group of clowns.”
During an interview on Symfoni, a news platform, Okonkwo had warned that he would consider joining another political party if the LP failed to hold a credible national convention.
His criticism extended to Peter Obi, the LP’s 2023 presidential candidate, whom he accused of lacking the political capacity to lead a party to electoral victory.
“He has proved that even if the people vote for him, he does not have what it takes to secure the mandate,” Okonkwo stated in July 2024.
Okonkwo, who defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the LP in 2022, has been vocal about the internal crisis that has plagued the party since April 2023. The leadership tussle escalated when the LP’s deputy national chairman (South), Lamidi Apapa, declared himself as the party’s acting chairman.
In 2024, a controversial national convention in Anambra saw Abure re-elected as chairman, a move that sparked opposition from a faction within the party. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) later disclosed that it did not monitor the convention.
The party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) dismissed the convention as a “charade,” insisting that Abure’s tenure had expired. In February 2024, the party’s national treasurer, Oluchi Oparah, accused Abure of misappropriating ₦3.5 billion. Abure denied the allegation and threatened legal action.
By April, the crisis deepened when an FCT High Court barred Abure from parading himself as LP’s national chairman. The court ruling also restrained other top officials, including the national secretary and national organizing secretary, from holding their positions.
In September 2024, following a stakeholders’ meeting in Umuahia convened by Abia State Governor Alex Otti, former senator Esther Nenadi Usman was appointed chair of a 29-member caretaker committee. The meeting was attended by Peter Obi and his running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed.
INEC later ruled that Abure’s tenure had ended in June 2024 and declared the party’s national convention invalid, stating that it violated both the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act.
However, in a legal twist, a Federal High Court on October 8, 2024, ruled in favor of Abure, affirming his leadership and the legitimacy of the March 2024 Nnewi Convention that produced the current party executives.
The matter was further complicated on January 17, 2025, when the Court of Appeal in Abuja upheld Abure’s chairmanship, ruling that its previous decision from November 2024—which recognized Abure’s leadership—remained valid. The appellate court, led by Justice Hamma Barka, overturned the Federal High Court’s ruling on jurisdictional grounds.
