Obi threatens legal action against Kenneth Okonkwo over alleged defamatory claims

Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has threatened to institute legal proceedings against Kenneth Okonkwo, a prominent member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), over comments he described as defamatory.

In a pre-action notice issued through his lawyer, Alex Ejesieme (SAN), Obi demanded a public retraction and apology from Okonkwo for statements made during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Monday.

During the interview, Okonkwo alleged that Obi and members of the NDC’s south-east caucus demanded money from aspirants seeking tickets to contest for seats in the national assembly. He further referenced claims purportedly made by Obunike Ohaegbu, an NDC aspirant for the House of Representatives in Anambra State, alleging that Obi collected N10 million from him in exchange for a party ticket.

However, Ohaegbu appeared on the same television programme a day later and refuted the allegation. He clarified that the N10 million payment was made directly into the NDC’s official bank account following instructions from the party’s national secretary and not to Obi personally.

In the letter addressed to Okonkwo, Obi described the allegations as false, malicious and damaging to his reputation. He argued that the statements portrayed him as being involved in bribery, extortion, fraud and other forms of financial misconduct without any factual basis.

According to the letter, the comments were intended to tarnish Obi’s image and diminish his standing among members of the public. It also noted that the allegations gained wider circulation after being broadcast on live television and subsequently shared across various online and social media platforms.

Obi maintained that the remarks went beyond legitimate political criticism and constituted a serious attack on his character and integrity.

As part of his demands, the former Anambra State governor asked Okonkwo to publicly withdraw the allegations and issue an unreserved apology on Channels Television as well as on his social media accounts, including X.

Obi is also seeking N5 billion in general, aggravated and exemplary damages for what he described as the injury caused to his reputation.

The NDC presidential candidate warned that failure to comply with the demands within the stipulated period would leave him with no option but to pursue legal remedies.

Obi and Okonkwo were political allies during the 2023 general election when both were members of the Labour Party. Okonkwo, who defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the election, served as one of the spokespersons for Obi’s presidential campaign.