I won’t retract, your N5bn defamation threat won’t silence me — Kenneth Okonkwo to Peter Obi

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Kenneth Okonkwo, a leading figure in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has rejected demands by the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, for a retraction and apology over allegations linked to the party’s primary election process.

The dispute followed comments made by Okonkwo during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, where he alleged that some aspirants seeking NDC tickets were asked to pay money during the nomination process.

Reacting to the claims, Obi, through his lawyer, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Alex Ejesieme, issued a pre-action notice demanding a public retraction, apology and N5 billion in damages, describing the allegations as false, malicious and defamatory.

However, in a letter dated June 16 and signed by his legal representatives at Supreme God Chambers, Okonkwo maintained that his comments were neither defamatory nor fabricated.

According to the response, the former Labour Party spokesperson insisted that the statements he made on national television reflected information provided to him by aggrieved aspirants and party members.

“Our client denies that he defamed your client in any manner whatsoever and expressly asserts that his position on the issues he expressed reflects the true position of the matters so reflected,” the letter stated.

Okonkwo’s legal team claimed that one of the complainants, Obunike Ohaegbu, an NDC House of Representatives aspirant from Anambra State, approached him over efforts to recover N10 million allegedly paid during the nomination process.

The lawyers alleged that Ohaegbu believed he had secured the party’s ticket after making the payment but was later instructed to participate in direct primaries, a development he reportedly challenged.

They further claimed that Ohaegbu held Obi responsible for the situation and encouraged Okonkwo to bring the matter into public discourse.

The response also referenced complaints allegedly made by other aspirants, including OAU Onyema, a former senatorial aspirant in Enugu State, who reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with the party’s nomination procedures.

Okonkwo’s legal representatives argued that their client acted within his rights as a lawyer, politician and public affairs commentator by raising concerns brought before him.

“Our client stands by the truth of all he declared on Channels TV,” the lawyers stated.

“The whole idea of his speaking on Channels TV, which information he received from the aspirants, NDC, and other Nigerians, is to expose transactional politics, ticket racketeering, extortion of aspirants, misleading representations, false pretence, undue influence and coercive pressure.”

The letter further accused Obi’s supporters of publishing Okonkwo’s personal telephone number online after the legal dispute became public.

According to the lawyers, the publication amounted to a breach of privacy and exposed their client to harassment and intimidation.

The development marks a fresh twist in the growing disagreement between both political figures and is expected to further intensify debate over transparency, accountability and internal democracy within political parties ahead of future elections.