Nollywood actor and former Labour Party stalwart, Kenneth Okonkwo, has declared his intention to support a presidential candidate from Northern Nigeria in the 2027 general elections.
Speaking during an appearance on Politics Today, a political affairs programme on Channels Television, Okonkwo stated that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would likely secure re-election if the African Democratic Congress (ADC) fields a southern candidate, such as Peter Obi.
To effectively challenge Tinubu in 2027, the actor-turned-lawyer recommended that the ADC coalition present a strong northern figure—someone with widespread acceptance across the region. He suggested potential candidates could include former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, or former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal.
“My strategy this time around is to support a Northerner in 2027,” Okonkwo said. “But my condition is that it must be a Northerner the entire North is willing to support.”
He further noted that any Northern aspirant must demonstrate leadership capacity, political experience, and ideally, familiarity with presidential governance.
On the matter of power rotation, Okonkwo referenced the vision of former Vice President Alex Ekwueme, stating that the original agreement was for the presidency to rotate across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones every four years. “According to Alex Ekwueme, the presidency was meant to be rotated among the zones, with each holding it for four years. That way, all regions would have had their turn in 24 years,” he explained.
Okonkwo resigned from the Labour Party in July 2024, citing internal conflicts and what he described as Peter Obi’s failure to take bold decisions.
Last week, the political coalition to which Okonkwo belongs formally adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as their platform for the 2027 elections.
