Politics and politicking often have a way of throwing up a multiplicity of queer and quirky characters in our political space, moreso at the build up to an election season, such as we are witnessing in Nigeria currently.
The freedom of speech and that of association has not only made the emergence of these whimsical characters possible, it has also made it tolerable in our clime.
The Nollywood ex-star actor, lawyer and politician, Kenneth Okonkwo, a co-labourer with Peter Obi at the Labour Party in 2023 Presidential elections, has chosen to fire his unkind salvos against the NDC presidential candidate in the upcoming elections from the flipside of love, kindness and morality.
This time around, he has boldly accused Obi, during an appearance on Channels Television program, “Sunrise Daily” of masterminding the forced extortion of N10m bribe from every House of representative primary elections aspirants from the Southeast, in the just concluded NDC Party primaries held across the nation.
Barr Kenneth Okonkwo specifically claimed that Mr Obunike Ohaegbu, an aspirant for the Nnewi North-South/ Ekwusigo federal constituency seat in Anambra State sent him a message together with a receipt allegedly showing that Peter Obi collected N10m from him and the remaining aspirants in exchange for Party tickets. He further alleged that the NDC Presidential candidate stayed at JohnWood Hotel in Abuja where he complied and submitted the lists of the said candidates to the NDC.
Even though Ohaegbu has publicly denied making the claims attributed to him by Kenneth Okonkwo, through the same Channel Television program last Tuesday, Peter Obi is not taking it lying low as he is threatening a court action against Okonkwo in what he described as “extremely grave and damaging accusations directed at his character and public standing”.
What is baffling in this whole matter is why Okonkwo, an erstwhile ally of Peter Obi, who has hitherto defended and spoke eloquently, flowingly and glowingly of and for Obi has suddenly become a Stormy Petrel, a gadfly in the ointment of Obi’s political aspiration and progress.
His desperate strategies to malign Obi smacks of peurile hate and petulant perversity, coming from a supposedly learned gentleman whose face once graced our tubes as a promising thespian and encourager to our youths. Must politics and hate be mixed up to the detriment of personal respect, reputation, morality and future aspirations?
How can someone who left Billions of Naira in the coffers of his state government while leaving office as governor turn around to demand for N10m bribe to be paid not to his personal account but to that of his political Party?
Those who do not like Peter Obi should be reminded that they’re free to do so. It is their inalienable right. They should also be reminded that Obi is not the problem of Nigeria, rather he is a proposed solution.
His taxonomic difference from the usual and familiar faces of politicians masquerading as political do-gooders in our nation must be applauded and not vilified. May the likes of Kenneth Okonkwo depart from iniquitous accusations to embrace the true side of brotherly love and patriotism.
