Peter Obi, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate for the 2027 election, has threatened legal action against former ally Kenneth Okonkwo over allegations made during a television interview.
In a pre-action letter dated June 10 and signed by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Alex Ejesieme, Obi accused Okonkwo of making false and defamatory claims during an appearance on Channels Television's *Sunrise Daily* programme.
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 exchange for party tickets.
Okonkwo claimed that an Anambra-based aspirant, Obunike Ohaegbu, provided him with a message and payment receipt allegedly showing that aspirants paid the money but were later instructed to participate in party primaries instead of receiving automatic tickets.
He further alleged that Obi compiled and submitted a list of NDC candidates from a hotel in Abuja rather than allowing a transparent selection process. Okonkwo also accused the party of extorting aspirants and described its activities as criminal.
However, Ohaegbu has publicly denied making the statements attributed to him.
Appearing on *Sunrise Daily* on Tuesday, Ohaegbu said Obi never asked him to pay N10 million and that he never told Okonkwo otherwise.
"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," he said.
Ohaegbu also denied accusing the NDC South-east caucus of demanding bribes. He clarified that he only referenced allegations that a candidate list had been prepared at a hotel in Abuja and did not mention Obi by name.
In the legal letter, Obi said Okonkwo's remarks portrayed him as a fraudster, bribe collector and participant in criminal activity. He described the allegations as reckless and damaging to his reputation and public standing.
Obi demanded that Okonkwo withdraw the statements, issue a public apology on Channels Television and publish the apology across all his social media platforms within seven days.
He is also seeking N5 billion in general, aggravated and exemplary damages and wants Okonkwo to provide a written undertaking not to repeat or circulate the allegations.
The letter warns that failure to comply within the specified period will result in legal proceedings, including claims for damages, a public retraction, injunctive relief and recovery of legal costs.
