The 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has threatened to drag his former political ally, Kenneth Okonkwo, to court over alleged defamatory remarks, demanding N5 billion in damages.
In a pre-action letter issued through his lawyer, Alex Ejesieme, Obi accused Okonkwo of making false and damaging allegations during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Monday.
The legal dispute marks a deepening rift between the two politicians, who were once close allies. Both previously belonged to the Labour Party before joining the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Obi later defected to the NDC.
Allegations Spark Legal Threat
During the television interview, Okonkwo alleged that Obi and members of the NDC’s South-East caucus demanded a N10 million payment from House of Representatives aspirants seeking party tickets.
According to Okonkwo, an NDC aspirant from Anambra State, Obunike Ohaegbu, had sent him messages and evidence suggesting that aspirants were required to pay N10 million but were later instructed to participate in primaries instead of receiving direct tickets.
Okonkwo further claimed that Obi oversaw the compilation and submission of a list of candidates from a hotel in Abuja, alleging irregularities in the party’s nomination process. He also accused the party of exploiting aspirants financially.
Aspirant Denies Claims
However, Ohaegbu has publicly distanced himself from the allegations attributed to him.
Speaking on the same television programme on Tuesday, he denied ever accusing Obi of requesting or receiving N10 million from him.
“I am telling you that Peter Obi never told me to pay N10 million. I never told Kenneth Okonkwo that Peter Obi, in any way, told me to pay N10 million,” Ohaegbu stated.
He also denied accusing the NDC South-East caucus of bribery and clarified that while there had been discussions about an alleged candidate list being prepared at Johnwood Hotel, he never specifically linked Obi to the claim.
Obi Demands Retraction and Apology
In the legal letter, Obi described Okonkwo’s allegations as reckless and damaging, arguing that they portrayed him as a fraudster, extortionist and participant in criminal activities.
“These are extremely grave, damaging and reckless imputations of bribery, extortion, fraud, financial dishonesty and criminality directed at the character, integrity, reputation and public standing of my person,” the letter stated.
Obi maintained that the remarks were deliberately aimed at tarnishing his reputation and exposing him to public ridicule.
As part of his demands, Obi asked Okonkwo to withdraw the statements, issue a public apology on Channels Television, and publish the apology across all his social media platforms within seven days.
He also demanded payment of N5 billion as general, aggravated and exemplary damages, alongside a written undertaking that similar allegations would not be repeated in the future.
The letter warned that failure to comply with the demands would leave Obi with no option but to initiate legal proceedings seeking damages, injunctive reliefs, a public retraction, apology and the full cost of litigation.
As of the time of filing this report, Okonkwo had not publicly responded to the legal notice.
