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Kenneth Okonkwo, a member of the Labour Party, LP, has dismissed claims that Peter Obi’s performance in the recent presidential election was due to his religion or ethnicity. Okonkwo, who is also a Nollywood actor, stated that anyone making such claims is being “ignorant and mischievous.”
He went on to say that Obi achieved an unprecedented spread and number of votes for a relatively unknown political party in Nigeria’s history. Okonkwo also pointed out that evidence showed that people from all tribes and religions voted for Obi in the February 25 election, including in the cosmopolitan areas of Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory.
Okonkwo’s comments came in response to a leaked audio conversation between Obi and Bishop David Oyedepo of the Living Faith Church. In the audio, Obi allegedly described the election as a “religious war” and sought help from Oyedepo to reach out to his people. However, Okonkwo argued that these allegations were baseless and aimed at tarnishing Obi’s records.
He further criticized the ruling party, APC, for fielding a “sick old drug baron and religious bigot” who chose a same-faith ticket in a multi-religious Nigeria. Okonkwo expressed confidence that the Nigerian electorate will soon clean out such parties from the country’s leadership cadre.