Okonkwo denies opposing Amaechi as Atiku’s running mate, explains South-East position

Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesperson for the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Atiku Abubakar, has denied reports that he opposed the selection of former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, as the party’s vice presidential candidate.

Okonkwo also clarified that his earlier position was based on geopolitical considerations, noting that no eligible individual from the South-East met the requirements to be selected as Atiku’s running mate before the party’s primary election.

The clarification follows reports that Okonkwo rejected the Atiku-Amaechi presidential ticket and vowed not to campaign for the former vice president if his running mate was not from the South-East.

Speaking on Channels Television on Thursday, Okonkwo dismissed the reports when asked if he still opposed Amaechi’s emergence.

“I do not know where you got that from,” he said.

Asked whether he supports Amaechi as the ADC vice presidential candidate, Okonkwo said the former Rivers State governor remains the party’s choice and deserves the support of loyal members.

“First and foremost, he is the choice of the party and everybody that is a loyal party member,” he said.

Okonkwo explained that he had merely expressed the expectation that the vice presidential slot should have gone to the South-East, but acknowledged that the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 limited the available options.

“I said I expected that the Vice President should come from the South-East. It was a geopolitical expression, not the person of anybody. Of course, I understood the limitations within the Electoral Act 2026.

“Remember, for anybody to be eligible to contest, you must have been a member 21 days before the primary. So, the people from the South-East that I would have preferred, strictly speaking, were not even registered members, so we are restricted,” he said.

He noted that those who had shown interest in the ADC presidential ticket included Atiku Abubakar, Rotimi Amaechi, Hayatu-deen and Peter Obi, adding that Obi’s exit from the race left the South-East without a viable contender for the vice presidential position.

According to him, Amaechi secured more than 500 votes during the party’s primary, making it politically unwise to alienate his supporters.

“What I was agitating is that even if you have constraints, you ought to get the people of the South-East and sit down with them and say, ‘Look, these are my constraints.’ Then they will know what they will present to their people,” he added.

Okonkwo also disclosed that Atiku was outside Nigeria when the party initially announced the vice presidential candidate, adding that the former vice president moved to address concerns upon his return.

“Atiku was not in Nigeria when the party made the announcement; he travelled. So, when he came in, he did the needful. If you recall, and that is the beauty of this great democrat, when he came in, everything was halted. When he came in, he went into dialogue and called all the parties,” he said.