ADC chieftain Kenneth Okonkwo has alleged that President Bola Tinubu’s political journey serves as a lesson in resilience, alleging that Tinubu won the APC presidential ticket in 2022 despite being deliberately sidelined by his own party’s leadership.
Speaking on Channels TV, Okonkwo said, “Tinubu is regarded as the leader of the APC. In 2022, they told him they had zoned the APC ticket to the north specifically to Senator Lawan by the national chairman of the APC, and he said the Villa was aware of it. And this was at a time when the rotation was supposed to go to the south. Tinubu did not go and start whining or crying: ‘I am the national leader, look at what you are doing to me. Tinubu told them: one, it is unconstitutional; two, just allow me to contest in a free and fair primary. If I am defeated, I will accept it. And they said, ‘Fair enough.”
Okonkwo described what followed as a defining moment. “He went into the primary and defeated everybody. He was not the choice of the APC. He was not the choice of the Villa. He was not the choice of the NWC of the APC. But he said, ‘I am capable of winning this,’ and he went and won.”
According to him, that victory at Eagle Square carried a clear message that in politics, proven capacity matters more than establishment backing. He highlighted that despite whatever doubts surrounded Tinubu at the time, the APC ultimately united behind him, and he went on to win the presidency.
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