Kenneth Okonkwo, a prominent figure in the Labour Party, has clarified his political affiliation, asserting that he did not defect from the All Progressives Congress (APC) but rather resigned and joined the Labour Party several months before the upcoming 2023 general elections.
The seasoned Nollywood actor turned politician expressed discomfort with the term ‘defection,’ emphasizing that he resigned from the ruling APC before aligning himself with the Labour Party.
According to Okonkwo, defection occurs when one moves directly from one party to another, whereas resigning and subsequently joining another party is not considered defection.
He said;
“I’m always not very comfortable with the word ‘defection’. I resigned from the APC and joined Labour Party. You defect when you move from a party to another.
“Let’s say you are a member of the National Assembly; and in Nigeria, you must be a member of a political party to run for office or there won’t be any chance for you to resign. In that circumstance, you can defect.
“But when you resign and join another party, that’s not defection,” Okonkwo argued.