In a candid and exclusive interview with Rudolf Okonkwo on 90MinutesAfrica, seasoned actor and Chieftain of the Labour Party, Barrister Kenneth Okonkwo, expressed deep concern over the leadership challenges plaguing the Southeast region of Nigeria and the apparent lack of unity among its elites.
During the interview, Okonkwo recounted a troubling incident where a Governor from the Southeast allegedly attempted to undermine a presidential candidate from his own State during the last election. He claimed that the Governor not only demarketed the candidate but also threw his support behind a less qualified contender from a different region.
“The Southeast is also bedeviled with leadership problems. Because they are not existing in a vacuum. You can imagine a Governor from the Southeast was the person that came out to tell the world that Southeast cannot be President. And the most competent man of capacity and character is from his own State,” lamented Okonkwo.
According to the veteran actor, the Governor, whose duty should be to champion the interests of his people, instead chose to endorse a candidate who, in Okonkwo’s opinion, lacked the qualifications and character required for the presidential position.
Okonkwo further highlighted the perplexing behavior of some elites in the Southeast, suggesting that they occasionally act as if they have “sold out.” He criticized the elite class for not standing together and prioritizing the common good, accusing them of compromising the region’s political integrity.
“The elites class, they are behaving like people who have sold out at times,” Okonkwo remarked, pointing to a broader issue of disunity and self-interest among the Southeastern political elite.
