Kenneth Okonkwo, a former spokesperson for the Labour Party’s presidential campaign council, has announced his resignation from the party.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Okonkwo stated that his resignation will take effect from February 25, 2025, after which he will be free to join other like-minded Nigerians in shaping the country’s future.
He explained that his involvement in politics was driven by a desire for good governance, and he will continue working towards this goal.
Okonkwo expressed his gratitude to Nigerians who supported the party during its time of need and pledged his loyalty to the Nigerian people. He also mentioned that the Labour Party, in its current state, is non-existent, which led to his decision to resign.
His statement reads:
11th February, 2025
To all Nigerians of Goodwill,
RESIGNATION FROM LABOUR PARTY
I sincerely thank all Nigerians of goodwill for their immense support during the 2023 presidential election, where Nigerians believed in our message for a new Nigeria and voted for us across ethnic and religious lines. We were the only party that achieved 25% support in all six Geo-Political Zones and the Federal Capital Territory. I believe that we won the election under the Labour Party with your support but were denied victory due to a technical glitch.
- By February 25, 2025, it will be two years since the 2023 presidential election, and two years before the next presidential election. It is a global democratic convention that political consultations, alignments, and re-alignments begin two years before the next election. Unfortunately, the Labour Party, as it is currently structured, cannot be part of the political force that will shape Nigeria’s political future.
- To avoid any confusion, the Labour Party as it stands is non-existent. According to the Labour Party Constitution, the tenure of ward, local government, and state party executives is three years (see Article 15(2)(3)(4) of the Labour Party Constitution). Since no congresses have been held at these levels within the constitutionally allowed tenure, their leaderships have effectively expired.
- The former National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, and his National Working Committee, having not conducted any legally recognized national convention, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the courts, the leadership issue within the Labour Party remains an internal matter that the courts cannot intervene in, leaving the party without effective national leadership.
- The Caretaker Committee, led by Senator Nenadi Usman, which was lawfully set up by the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Labour Party after the INEC’s non-recognition of the Abure-led National Working Committee (NWC), was given six months to conduct congresses and a convention. This was the only viable option to salvage the Labour Party.
- Unfortunately, Abure and his allies, in collaboration with external forces, have waged unnecessary legal challenges against this Caretaker Committee, preventing it from functioning. More than six months after the Committee’s inauguration, it has not even started, leading many to believe that the objective of these politicians and their collaborators is to bog down the serious members of the Labour Party with frivolous lawsuits until the 2027 election is over. It’s curious that a national executive whose members are defecting daily to other parties, and who cannot fight legal battles to recover these seats, is waging intense legal battles to maintain their destructive grip on the party.
- It’s clear that Abure is more concerned with his own interests than with the survival of the Labour Party. If he were genuinely interested in fielding a southern candidate for the 2027 presidential election, he would have ceded the position of national chairman to the North, as is the convention when a party aims to field a southern presidential candidate. This was a suggestion from those of us genuinely interested in the party’s survival. While Nigerians, especially in the North, may have overlooked the combination of a southern national chairman and presidential candidate in 2023, they will not overlook it in 2027, having had time to prepare.
- By not doing this, it’s obvious that Abure and his colleagues want to use some southern presidential candidates as cash cows, generating money for them without any intention of making the party competitive in 2027. This confirms the belief that they are secretly working for the ruling party’s victory. I pity any southern presidential candidate who still believes there’s a future in an Abure-led Labour Party, as they are clearly unaware of Nigeria’s current political realities.
- I have never been deceitful or betrayed any cause I’ve fought for. My entry into politics was driven by the desire for good governance, and I will continue working for it to ensure that Nigeria becomes a great country led by incorruptible leaders. However, this can no longer be achieved within the current Labour Party, which, as presently constituted, is non-existent. Therefore, I am forced to resign from the party and thank all Nigerians of goodwill who supported us when we needed them most. I pledge my continued loyalty to the Nigerian people, regardless of the political path I choose to follow.
- This resignation takes effect on February 25, 2025, marking the second anniversary of the 2023 presidential election. After this date, I will be free to join other well-meaning, like-minded Nigerians in shaping a brighter future for our country through good governance.
Thank you, and God bless.
Yours sincerely,
Kenneth Okonkwo
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.
