Peter Obi had opportunity to be great but dashed it — Kenneth Okonkwo

Kenneth Okonkwo, a former spokesperson for Peter Obi’s 2023 presidential campaign, has said the former Anambra State governor had a rare opportunity to become a great leader but squandered it.

Okonkwo made the remarks during an interview on Selah Meditate Podcast, where he was asked to describe President Bola Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar and Obi in one sentence.

Speaking about Obi, Okonkwo said Nigerians had been willing to support him and hand him political power without the usual struggle associated with securing elective office.

“Peter Obi is a man who had opportunity of being great and dashed it by himself. No system will give you egg without breaking it. You can’t make an omelet without breaking an egg,” he said.

He argued that Obi needed to make significant sacrifices to secure and retain the opportunity presented to him by Nigerians.

“He’s a man that God and living people would have loved to give him what he wants, but he needs to make the necessary sacrifice, no matter what it will entail, to hold onto that free gift,” Okonkwo said.

According to him, Obi’s political circumstances were unusual because, for the first time, Nigerians were prepared to give a politician power without demanding the conventional political incentives associated with elections.

“For the first time in Nigeria, people are willing to give somebody power free of charge. You should be able to make every sacrifice needed, no matter what,” he added.

Okonkwo’s assessment of Obi came alongside his contrasting descriptions of Atiku and Tinubu when asked to characterise the three politicians.

He described Atiku as a benevolent and humane leader determined to continue pursuing the presidency in order to give Nigerians what he considers the benefits of his leadership.

“If you tell me to describe Atiku, I will say benevolent leader that doesn’t want to give up until he ensures the nation has a taste of the benevolence,” he said.

He added that the former vice-president was a “good leader” and “humane leader” who wanted to contribute to rescuing the country within his lifetime.

On Tinubu, however, Okonkwo offered a starkly different assessment, describing the president as the “worst leader” Nigeria would ever have.

Okonkwo was a prominent member of Obi’s campaign ahead of the 2023 presidential election before subsequently aligning with the opposition political movement around Atiku.

Obi finished third in the 2023 presidential election behind Tinubu and Atiku and has since remained one of the prominent opposition figures positioning for the 2027 presidential contest on the platform of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC).