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Lastest News Nigeria, Politics, Business, Sport, Interview
Lastest News Nigeria, Politics, Business, Sport, Interview
By Babatunji Wusu| The 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has threatened legal action against his former ally, Kenneth Okonkwo, over allegations that he collected money from party aspirants in exchange for political tickets. Obi is seeking N5 billion in damages, describing the claims as false and harmful to his reputation.
In a pre-action letter signed by his lawyer, Alex Ejesieme (SAN), Obi accused Okonkwo of making defamatory statements during an 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 N10 million from House of Representatives aspirants in return for party tickets.
Okonkwo further claimed that an aspirant from Anambra State, Obunike Ohaegbu, had accused Obi of collecting the money before directing aspirants to take part in party primaries rather than receiving automatic tickets. He also alleged that Obi compiled and submitted a list of candidates from a hotel in Abuja, describing the party’s actions as criminal.
However, Ohaegbu has publicly rejected the allegations. Appearing on the same television programme on Tuesday, he stated that Obi never requested N10 million from him and that he never made such claims to Okonkwo.
“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 said.
Reacting through his legal team, Peter Obi described the allegations as reckless and damaging, arguing that they portrayed him as a fraudster, extortionist and participant in criminal conduct. He demanded a public retraction, an apology on Channels Television and across Okonkwo’s social media platforms, as well as N5 billion damages. Obi also requested a written undertaking that similar allegations would not be repeated, warning that he would seek legal redress if Okonkwo fails to comply within seven days.
