Kenneth Okonkwo, a former spokesperson for Peter Obi’s presidential campaign and a chieftain of the African Democratic Party, has denied defaming the former Anambra governor, insisting that his comments about the Nigeria Democratic Party (NDC) primary process merely reflected information provided to him by aggrieved aspirants.
BACKGROUND
Obi had issued a pre-action letter to Okonkwo, demanding payment of N5 billion damages to him, a public apology and retraction of allegations which the former actor had made on Channels Television.
While speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme, the ADC chieftain claimed that Obi and some NDC leaders in the South East demanded a N10 million bribe from some aspirants.
However, Ohaegbu subsequently denied making such allegations against Obi.
Speaking on Channels Television on Tuesday, the NDC aspirant said Obi never asked him to pay N10 million and that he never told Okonkwo that the former governor demanded money from him.
“Peter Obi never told me to pay N10 million,” Ohaegbu said.
“I never told Kenneth Okonkwo that Peter Obi in any way told me to pay N10 million.”
In the pre-action notice, Obi’s lawyers accused Okonkwo of falsely portraying their client as a fraudster, scammer and criminal.
In a response to Obi’s reported defamation demand, Okonkwo, through his lawyers at Supreme God Chambers, said his statements were based on allegations brought before him by aspirants who claimed they were unfairly treated during the party’s primaries.
The lawyers argued that Okonkwo did not defame Obi “in any manner whatsoever” and maintained that his comments represented what they described as the “true position” of issues surrounding the party’s primary elections.
According to the letter, some aspirants alleged that they were asked to pay millions of naira during the nomination process and later felt shortchanged by the outcome of the primaries.
The lawyers also rejected Obi’s claim that Okonkwo’s remarks were defamatory, insisting that the former actor and politician merely exercised his constitutional right to comment on matters of public interest.
OBI’S INFLUENCE IN NDC
The response further alleged that Obi wielded significant influence over the conduct of the party’s South-East primaries, saying that previous party communications identified him as leader of the region’s caucus structure.
Okonkwo’s legal team said several complaints from aspirants informed his public comments and argued that raising such concerns should not be construed as defamation.
The lawyers also accused Obi’s camp of publishing Okonkwo’s personal telephone number on social media, describing the action as a breach of privacy that exposed their client to harassment and threats.
They maintained that Okonkwo would continue to stand by his comments and urged Obi to address the allegations raised by aggrieved aspirants rather than seek to silence critics through legal action.
