Veteran Nollywood actor and former Labour Party chieftain, Kenneth Okonkwo, has accused the party’s presidential candidate in 2023, Peter Obi, of betraying him.

Okonkwo said Obi failed to manage the leadership crisis that has rocked the party since the last general election.

Speaking during an interview with Symfoni TV, Okonkwo claimed that Obi aligned with the Julius Abure-led faction of the party, which is allegedly hobnobbing with the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The former LP spokesperson said Obi repeatedly ignored calls to distance himself from Abure’s faction.

While criticising Obi’s leadership style, Okonkwo said the ex-Anambra governor lacks the traits of a team player and an effective manager.

He said: “When we started in 2023, it was an organic movement. Every Nigerian wanted change. Every Nigerian was dissatisfied with the way things were going. So, we felt that something new was appearing on the horizon.

“And because I am a man focused on the security and welfare of Nigerians, not a politician loyal to any political party, I was committed to the movement. Nobody drafted me into it.

“I followed the movement on my own accord. So, when I was chosen to be a spokesperson, I honoured it. Everybody knew what I did and the contributions I made.

“We did what we did, and we believe we won the election. What happened after that? If you are a brilliant politician, what you should do is to start preparing and consolidating for 2027, and the first platform you begin with is your party.

“Obi is a politician of convenience, not a politician of conviction. Nobody is murdering hi political career. Obi is committing political suicide. And I mean it.”

While dismissing claims that he betrayed Obi by leaving the LP, Okonkwo said: “Any politician who knows what he is doing cannot be betrayed by anybody. If there is anybody who betrayed the other, I can say it emphatically that Peter Obi betrayed me.”