Wednesday, June 10, 2026 - Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress and former governor of Anambra State, has dragged his former loyalist and kinsman, Kenneth Okonkwo, to court.
A suit made by Peter Obi’s legal counsel dated June 9,
2026, and signed by Chief Alex Ejesieme, SAN, of Alex Ejesieme (SAN) & Co.
(Madiba Chambers) described Okonkwo’s allegations as fabricated and
damaging.
Recall that the Nollywood
actor-turned-lawyer-and-politician, Okonkwo had alleged that Peter Obi and
others had collected a bribe of N10 million from House of Representatives
aspirants.
However, Peter’s legal team said the claim is false.
According to the legal document, Okonkwo stated in substance
and effect:
“(a) That our client, Mr. Peter Obi, together with the
leaders of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in the South-East, informed
the party’s aspirants that any person seeking to contest as a member of the
House of Representatives must, after paying the prescribed expression of
interest fee, pay a bribe of ten million naira (N10,000,000.00) to the NDC and
to the caucus leaders;”
The document further outlines additional claims made by
Okonkwo during the broadcast, noting his assertions:
“(b) that the said unlawful demand was accompanied by
documentary proof; the person who relayed the information to you having sent
the said information together with the receipt evidencing the payment;
(c) that our Client personally wrote and compiled the list
of the party’s candidates from his hotel room at the Johnwood Hotel;
(d) that you warned the said aspirants that our Client is
going to scam them;
(e) that our Client travels abroad to collect money from
people; and
(f) that our Client and the leaders of the NDC in the
South-East are perpetuating criminality.”
Rejecting the assertions, Obi’s legal team emphasized that
the remarks directly target their client’s character, integrity, and public
standing.
The chambers stated:
“The above statements, in their natural and ordinary meaning
and by necessary implication, falsely and maliciously represent our client as a
person who demands, solicits, organizes, and collects bribes; who extorts,
defrauds, and swindles political aspirants of their money; who is a fraudster,
a scammer, and a dishonest political actor; and who, in concert with others, is
engaged in criminal conspiracy and is actively perpetuating criminality. 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 our Client.”
The letter goes on to describe the public nature of the
statements as particularly troubling due to their rapid amplification across
digital channels.
“For the avoidance of doubt, our Client states categorically
that the said allegations are false, baseless, malicious, reckless, defamatory,
and wholly unsupported by any fact. They were made with the clear intent and
purpose of lowering our client in the estimation of right-thinking members of
society, exposing him to hatred, contempt, and ridicule, and injuring his
hard-earned reputation as a man of unquestionable integrity, a statesman, and a
political leader. It is particularly disturbing that the said statements were
made by you on live television and were thereafter republished, broadcast, and
widely circulated through online and social media platforms, including
video-sharing platforms, where such falsehoods spread rapidly and assume a life
of their own. Your words were not mere political commentary. They crossed the
permissible bounds of fair comment and constituted a direct assault on our
Client’s person, integrity, image, and reputation.”
The law firm said that the right to freedom of expression
does not permit the reckless destruction of another person’s reputation.
The firm’s listed demands require Okonkwo to immediately
withdraw the defamatory statements in their entirety and publish a clear,
unequivocal, and unreserved public apology to Peter Obi.
“This withdrawal and apology must be given equal prominence
to the original broadcast and shared across all his social media platforms,
including X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
Additionally, the legal team demanded a written undertaking
that he will cease making or publishing further defamatory statements against
their client, alongside a financial compensation package,” his legal team
stated.
Recall that in the past days Okonkwo had launched
accusations at Peter Obi after dumping the African Democratic Congress.
Okonkwo has not hidden his support for the presidential
aspiration of Atiku Abubakar, former vice president, who emerged as the
flagbearer of ADC ahead of the the 2027 general election.
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