A fresh dispute has broken out between former political allies, Kenneth Okonkwo and Peter Obi, following claims made by the actor-turned-politician during a television interview.
The disagreement began after Okonkwo alleged on a Channels Television programme that Obi and some leaders of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in the South-East collected money from aspirants seeking elective positions during the party’s primary elections.
According to him, House of Representatives aspirants were asked to pay N10 million, while senatorial aspirants allegedly paid N20 million.
Obi, through his lawyer, Alex Ejesieme, rejected the claims and described them as false and damaging to his reputation.
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The former Anambra State governor maintained that the allegations portrayed him as a dishonest political figure involved in unlawful activities.
His legal team subsequently demanded that Okonkwo withdraw the statements, issue a public apology on Channels Television and across his social media platforms, and refrain from repeating the allegations in the future.
The lawyers also demanded N5 billion in damages over the remarks.
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The claims made by Okonkwo were reportedly linked to information he said came from a former aspirant, Obunike Ohaegbu.
Okonkwo alleged that Ohaegbu informed him about the payments and provided evidence to support the claim.
Responding to the legal threat on Wednesday through his X account, Okonkwo dismissed the demand for damages and questioned Obi’s decision to seek compensation.
He also indicated that he would respond formally to the letter after reviewing its contents.
The politician further shared screenshots of what he described as conversations with Ohaegbu.
According to him, the messages suggested that party officials told aspirants the payments had been approved by Obi and other party leaders.
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Okonkwo also maintained that the matter should proceed to court if Obi and his legal team were confident in their position.
He stated that he was prepared to address the allegations through the legal process.
However, reports have emerged indicating that Ohaegbu has denied making some of the statements attributed to him in the controversy.
