A Former Spokesperson of the Labour Party, Kenneth Okonkwo has criticized the actions of the Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abukakar, who acknowledged that the South East region was next in line for the Presidency but did not step saide.
He argued that the absence of genuine internal democracy within the party allowed Atiku to run, which contradicts the principles of fair and equitable power distribution as outlined in the party's constitution. He expressed concerns about Peter Obi's decision to oppose the traditional lack of internal democracy within Nigerian political parties.
The Candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi in the 2023 election campaign attracted young people and urban voters who were fed up with Nigerian politics. He won the most votes in the commercial hub of Lagos State, where Africa's biggest city is located. Obi of the Labour Party got 582,454 just slightly ahead of Bola Ahmed Tinubu. However, the leadership of the PDP still believes that Peter Obi had gotten the bulk of votes from the South East.
He said in an interview with Channels TV, ''Obi did not want to continue with the old formula of not having internal democracy within a political party and pretending you can do it within Nigeria. In the PDP Constitution, they said they are committed to power shift and power rotation.
And then the presidential candidate from the North, Atiku himself said that it was the turn of the South East but he decided not to step down. A region that is loyal to you all throughout their lives, then you now say they are not qualified. If there was internal democracy within the party, they wouldn't have allowed Atiku to run.''