By Abiola Olawale
Nollywood actor and politician, Kenneth Okonkwo has criticized Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo for issuing what he described as a dangerous and unconstitutional threat against Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate.
Speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Monday, July 21, 2025, Okonkwo condemned the governor’s remarks as “tribalistic” and “reckless,” accusing Okpebholo of targeting Obi due to his Igbo heritage.
“I sense tribalistic and ethnic bigotry from this Edo Governor. If Peter Obi were a leader from Hausa Land or Yoruba Land, this governor would not dare make such a statement,” Okonkwo asserted.
He described the governor’s comments as a direct attack on the Igbo people, warning, “If a strand of hair falls from Peter Obi, then you will know he has kinsmen.”
Okonkwo, a former Labour Party presidential campaign spokesman, emphasized that Obi, as a Nigerian citizen, is constitutionally guaranteed freedom of movement under Section 41(1) of the 1999 Constitution.
He called the governor’s demand for clearance as “illegal, irresponsible, and largely illiterate,” arguing that no public official has the authority to restrict a citizen’s right to visit any state.
He continued: “The law has even been made clear that you don’t even need permission even when you want to embark on a peaceful protest. If you don’t need permission when you want to embark on a protest, how can a Governor be talking about permission to visit a state? That is offensive. These are the questions. I reject his action with everything that is within me.
”You know, that is what Julius Caesar said in Julius Caesar. He said that we have men above me that are fat, sleek-headed men, such as Monday Okpebholo who has a leaner, hungry look. They think too much of themselves. He said such men are dangerous. I’m telling you, if you go to his office, you will not even see him. He should stop it!”
Recall that Okpebholo’s remarks were made during a political rally in Uromi, Esan North-East Local Government Area, on July 18, 2025, while welcoming former PDP lawmaker Marcus Onobun into the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The governor criticized Obi’s recent visit to Edo on July 7, where he donated N15 million to St. Philomena Hospital School of Nursing Sciences. Okpebholo linked the visit to alleged violence, claiming, “After he left, three people were killed.”
