A major political and legal dispute has erupted between the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and former actor-turned-politician Kenneth Okonkwo, following controversial allegations he made against the party’s presidential flagbearer for the 2027 election, Peter Obi.
The NDC’s legal advocacy arm, led by Dr. Maxwell Opara, has warned that it may petition the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) against Okonkwo, accusing him of engaging in conduct inconsistent with the ethics expected of a member of the legal profession. The group alleged that the former spokesperson had embarked on a sustained campaign aimed at damaging Obi’s reputation through unverified claims.
The controversy intensified after Peter Obi initiated legal action against Okonkwo, seeking N5 billion in damages over statements he described as defamatory and injurious to his public image. Obi’s legal team argued that the remarks were false, malicious, and capable of lowering his standing in the eyes of Nigerians.
The dispute stems from comments Okonkwo made during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme. During the interview, he alleged that Obi and influential figures within the South-East bloc of the NDC collected N10 million from aspirants seeking seats in the House of Representatives in return for automatic nominations.
To support his claim, Okonkwo referenced information allegedly provided by Obunike Ohaegbu, a House of Representatives hopeful from Anambra State. According to him, Ohaegbu submitted evidence, including messages and proof of payment, suggesting that he transferred the money but did not receive the promised nomination.
Okonkwo also claimed that Obi did not oversee a transparent primary election process. Instead, he alleged that the former Anambra governor operated from a hotel in Abuja, where he supposedly prepared a list of preferred candidates that was later forwarded to the party for adoption.
The politician further escalated the matter by suggesting that supporting the NDC at the polls amounted to endorsing wrongdoing, a statement that drew sharp criticism from party loyalists and legal representatives.
In response, Obi’s lawyer, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Alex Ejesieme, issued a formal pre-action notice demanding a complete withdrawal of the allegations. The legal correspondence described the accusations as entirely fabricated and damaging to Obi’s integrity and political standing.
The notice gave Okonkwo seven days to publicly retract the statements and issue an apology through Channels Television as well as across all of his social media accounts. It also demanded N5 billion as compensation for reputational harm, emotional distress, and other related damages.
Separately, the NDC Lawyers Group issued its own ultimatum, giving Okonkwo 48 hours to renounce the allegations and offer an unconditional apology. The group argued that rather than promoting the programmes and agenda of his current political platform, Okonkwo had focused his attention on attacking Obi.
According to the lawyers, the accusations lack factual support, and they challenged him to present credible evidence to substantiate his claims. Failure to do so, they warned, could result in a formal complaint before the LPDC.
The legal body also cautioned against invoking ethnic sentiment to justify political attacks, stressing that Nigerians deserve issue-based campaigns rather than personal accusations. It maintained that it would pursue every lawful avenue available to protect Obi’s reputation if the demands were ignored.
