The spokesperson for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, Kenneth Okonkwo, has explained why the party did not select a vice-presidential candidate from the South-East, saying the decision was influenced by legal and political considerations rather than regional preference.

Speaking on Channels Television on Thursday, Okonkwo dismissed claims that he opposed the emergence of former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, as Atiku's running mate.

"I do not know where you got that from," he said when asked if he was against Amaechi's nomination.

Okonkwo said he fully supports the party's decision, stressing that loyalty to the ADC requires members to back its choices.

"First and foremost, he is the choice of the party and everybody that is a loyal party member," he said.

He explained that while he had advocated for the vice-presidential slot to go to the South-East, his position was based on geopolitical considerations and not directed against Amaechi.

According to him, the Electoral Act 2026 limited the number of eligible aspirants because only party members who had registered at least 21 days before the primary could contest.

"I said I expected that the Vice President should come from South-East. It was a geopolitical expression, not the person of anybody. I also understood the limitations within the Electoral Act 2026," Okonkwo said.

He noted that many of the South-East politicians he would have preferred were not registered members of the party within the required timeframe, leaving the ADC with a limited pool of eligible candidates.

Okonkwo identified Atiku Abubakar, Rotimi Amaechi, Hayatu-deen and Peter Obi as the leading presidential aspirants before the party's primary.

He said Obi's exit from the race weakened the South-East's position in the contest.

"When Peter Obi left, South-East was thrown into confusion, and you have to pick a vice president that has elicited interest that he wants to embark on the onerous duty of campaigning around the nation," he said.

He also argued that Amaechi's strong showing at the party's primary made him a key stakeholder whose support base could not be overlooked.

"Amaechi got up to 500 and something voters in the primary, you cannot alienate them," he said.

Despite backing the decision, Okonkwo maintained that the party should have consulted South-East stakeholders before announcing its running mate.

"What I was agitating is that even if you have constraints, you ought to get the people of South-East and sit down with them and say, look, these are my constraints. Then they will know what they will present to their people," he said.

He further disclosed that Atiku was out of the country when the initial announcement was made, adding that the ADC presidential candidate later suspended the process and held consultations after returning to Nigeria.

"When he came in, everything was halted. He went into dialogue and called all the parties," Okonkwo said.