By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu
Actor-turned-politician Kenneth Okonkwo has officially announced his resignation from the Labour Party, effective February 25, 2025. In a detailed post on X, Okonkwo expressed his frustration, stating, “The Labour Party is non-existent as presently constituted.”
He criticized the party’s lack of structure, pointing out that the tenure of both local and national party executives had expired because no congresses had been held within the constitutionally allotted time, citing violations of the party’s own constitution.
Okonkwo specifically called out former National Chairman Julius Abure, claiming that “the former National Chairman of Labour Party, Julius Abure, and his former National Working Committee… have conducted no national convention known to law.” He emphasized that this failure led to “no effective leadership of Labour Party at the national level.”
He also acknowledged the role of the Caretaker Committee, led by Senator Nenadi Usman, calling it “the only viable option towards salvaging the Labour Party.”
However, Okonkwo lamented that “Abure and his colleagues, with the collaboration of outside forces… launched unnecessary legal challenges against this Caretaker Committee that have inhibited it from functioning.”
Okonkwo further addressed the issue of leadership, saying, “If Abure was interested in the emergence of a southern candidate in Labour Party to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, he would cede the position of national chairman to the north.” With the party in its current state, he explained, he was “constrained to resign my membership of the party.”
His resignation, set for February 25, 2025, the second anniversary of the 2023 presidential election, marks the end of his association with the Labour Party.
Okonkwo concluded, “I will be at liberty to join other well-meaning, and like-minded Nigerians in charting a great future of good governance for this great country blessed by God.”
