Kenneth Okonkwo, a frontline member of the opposition coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has issued a bold warning to presidential hopefuls ahead of the 2027 elections.
Speaking in an interview on Channels Television’s Hard Copy From 14:26, the former spokesperson of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council said that any politician afraid of spending money during primaries has no business contesting against an incumbent.
According to him, “Presidential elections are not for boys. They’re for men.” He added that participating in the general election will require far more financial and logistical strength than the primaries, urging serious contenders to get ready or step aside.
He stressed that in politics, there are “mandatory expenses” that no aspirant can avoid, citing the need to pay agents in over 176,000 polling units as an example.
Okonkwo maintained that if a candidate claims they cannot handle the costs of a party primary because of dollarization or deep-pocket rivals, such a person should not attempt to face the financial weight of an incumbent president backed by state resources.
He explained, “In 2023, we lacked agents in several polling units, and it cost us the election. That won’t happen in 2027.”
The ADC chieftain said that in 2027, no excuse will be tolerated from aspirants seeking shortcuts or hoping for ‘free rides’ through internal party arrangements. He said any attempt to avoid primaries in favor of backdoor nominations is simply a ticket to failure.
He added that ADC’s coalition platform will only reward merit, not sentiments, stating that only a transparent and competitive presidential primary will produce a unifying candidate.
Okonkwo concluded by calling on all political actors to brace up for what lies ahead, declaring that only those prepared to match the incumbent’s structure and resources will have a fighting chance.
“We need leaders who can inspire and mobilize — not those who fear to compete,” he said.
