Nollywood actor turned politician, Kenneth Okonkwo has officially announced his resignation from the Labour Party, effective February 25, 2025.
In a detailed post shared on his official X handle on February 11, he stated that the party is currently “non-existent” in its present form.
“In the constitution of the Labour Party, the tenure of the ward, local government, and state party executives is three years (See Article 15(2)(3)(4) of the Labour Party constitution). Having conducted no congresses at these levels within the constitutionally allowed tenure of the executives, their regimes have effectively expired,” he submitted.
Okonkwo highlighted that the Labour Party’s constitution mandates a three-year tenure for party executives at various levels, but no congresses have been conducted, rendering these leadership positions invalid.
“Since the party is non-existent as presently constituted, I am constrained to resign my membership of the party,” Okonkwo added.
He criticized the former LP National Chairman, Julius Abure, and the former national working committee for failing to hold a legally recognized national convention, leading to ineffective leadership at the national level.
He pointed out that the party’s caretaker committee, led by Senator Nenadi Usman, was established by the party’s national executive committee to address these issues, but faced legal challenges from Abure and his allies that hindered its progress.
Read also: Ex-Labour Party guber candidate defects to APC in Bayelsa
Furthermore, Okonkwo urged that if Abure desired a southern candidate to represent the party in the 2027 presidential election, he should step aside for a northern leader.
Okonkwo stated that his resignation was a necessary step as he considers his political future, but plans to explore opportunities with like-minded Nigerians in pursuit of good governance.
“This resignation takes effect from the 25th of February, 2025, which marks the second anniversary of the presidential election of 2023, after which 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,” he said.