Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has demanded N5 billion in damages and a public apology from former ally Kenneth Okonkwo over allegedly defamatory statements made during a television interview.
In a formal demand letter dated June 9, 2026, Obi’s lawyers, Chief Alex Ejesieme (SAN) & Co., accused Okonkwo of making false and malicious claims capable of destroying his reputation.
The letter followed remarks Okonkwo allegedly made on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on June 8.
According to the solicitors, Okonkwo claimed that Obi and South-East NDC leaders demanded N10 million from House of Representatives aspirants after they paid official expression-of-interest fees, and that documentary evidence existed to support the allegation.
They further accused Okonkwo of alleging that Obi personally compiled the party’s candidate list from a hotel room, warned aspirants they would be “scammed,” and was involved in criminal activities.
The lawyers described the statements as “false, baseless, malicious, reckless and wholly unsupported by any fact,” adding that they portrayed Obi as “a fraudster, a scammer and a dishonest political actor.”
The letter demanded that Okonkwo withdraw the statements within seven days, publish an unequivocal public apology on Channels Television and his social media platforms, and provide a written undertaking to refrain from further defamatory remarks.
Failure to comply, the letter warned, would lead to legal action.
The demand marks a sharp deterioration in relations between the two men, who were once close allies during Obi’s 2023 Labour Party presidential campaign, when Okonkwo served as spokesperson for the Obi-Datti ticket.
