Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has threatened to file a lawsuit against Kenneth Okonkwo, a prominent actor and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), over alleged defamatory comments. The former Anambra governor, through a pre-action notice, demanded an unreserved apology from Okonkwo for statements made during an interview on Channels Television on Monday, June 8.
During the interview, Okonkwo accused Obi and the south-east caucus of the NDC of demanding bribes from House of Representatives and Senate aspirants in exchange for party tickets. Specifically, Okonkwo claimed that Obunike Ohaegbu, an NDC House of Representatives aspirant from Anambra, alleged that Obi defrauded him of N10 million for the ticket.
However, on Tuesday, Ohaegbu appeared on the same television program to deny the allegations. He clarified that he paid N10 million into the NDC bank account based on information from the party’s national secretary, not to Obi personally.
In the pre-action notice signed by Alex Ejesieme, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Obi described Okonkwo’s comments as “extremely grave, damaging and reckless imputations of bribery, extortion, fraud, financial dishonesty and criminality” that targeted his reputation. The notice stated that the comments were “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 political leader,” the notice read. “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.”
Obi demanded that Okonkwo withdraw the “false and defamatory statements” and publish an unreserved apology on Channels Television, X (formerly Twitter), and other social media platforms. He also demanded N5 billion “as general, aggravated and exemplary damages for the grave injury occasioned to his hard-earned reputation.”
The presidential candidate warned that if Okonkwo fails to comply with the demands within the stipulated time, he will seek legal redress through appropriate judicial channels.
