Former Labour Party presidential campaign spokesperson, Kenneth Okonkwo, has drawn a clear political line between his support for Peter Obi in the 2023 presidential election and his current position ahead of the 2027 contest.

Okonkwo said his backing for Obi was tied to the former Anambra State governor’s candidacy on the Labour Party platform in 2023, insisting that the support did not amount to a commitment to follow him into subsequent political movements.

The latest comments underline the widening political distance between the two men, who were prominent figures in Obi’s 2023 presidential campaign but are now aligned with different political formations ahead of the 2027 election.

Explaining his position, Okonkwo said political loyalty could not be separated from changing circumstances, platforms and information surrounding a politician.

“I campaigned for him as a member of Labour Party and as the presidential candidate of Labour Party. There was no agreement I should follow him wherever he’s going to because if he’s going to fall into a pit, I do not have any contract to fall into the pit with him,” he said.

Okonkwo further argued that his assessment of Obi had changed because, in his view, the political circumstances surrounding the former governor had subsequently changed.

“So what the person you’re seeing now is completely different from the person I campaigned for, different platform from the information that I have heard, different human being,” he said.

Obi contested the 2023 presidential election on the Labour Party platform before subsequent political realignments placed him outside the party. Okonkwo, meanwhile, is now associated with the African Democratic Congress, where he has emerged as a spokesperson for its presidential campaign.

The split has become part of the broader opposition realignment ahead of 2027, with former allies of the 2023 Labour Party campaign taking different positions over the structure, leadership and presidential strategy of the opposition.

Okonkwo has previously argued that the ADC should adopt a strategy capable of attracting support across Nigeria’s regions, while Obi has pursued his own political route ahead of the next presidential election. Earlier reports also quoted Okonkwo advocating support for a northern presidential candidate within the opposition coalition.