Kenneth Okonkwo, a former spokesman of the Obi/Datti Campaign Organization, has alleged that opposition politicians are defecting to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to manipulate state institutions and rig the 2027 elections.
Speaking during an interview with Arise TV on Monday, Okonkwo claimed that under a truly free and fair electoral process, the APC would not receive votes from Nigerians. He argued that the 2023 elections did not reflect the actual events at polling units across the country.
“Do you play ruling party or opposition party in a country where there is no election at all? What I mean is that I was a spokesperson in the 2023 election, and I will say unequivocally that the 2023 election did not reflect anything that was done on the ground,” Okonkwo stated.
He questioned why the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has not yet published polling unit results for the 2023 presidential election, as required by Section 62, subsections 2 and 3 of the Electoral Act.
Okonkwo further alleged that politicians are moving to the APC to secure the support of INEC and security agencies for the 2027 elections.
“The opposition are moving into the ruling party, not because they want to. As a matter of fact, because they need the ruling party in order to use INEC and the security agencies to rig the election. In a free and fair election, no one person will near APC with a long rope,” he said.
Okonkwo stressed that unless INEC ensures free, fair, and credible elections, the opposition will continue to remain weak.
“Except we begin to do a free, fair, credible, and verifiable election, there is nothing like ruling party or opposition party. Because that is the pillar of democracy. What the opposition is doing is that they are running into the ruling party so that they will use the state apparatus of power to rig election 2027,” he concluded.