RismadarVoice Reporters, June 10, 2026
Presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) and former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, has instituted legal action against his former ally and kinsman, Kenneth Okonkwo, over allegations linking him to bribery and other unlawful activities within the party.
The suit, dated June 9, 2026, was filed through Obi’s legal counsel, Chief Alex Ejesieme (SAN), of Alex Ejesieme & Co. (Madiba Chambers), who described the allegations as false, malicious and damaging to Obi’s reputation.
The legal action followed comments allegedly made by Okonkwo during a television appearance, in which he claimed that Obi and leaders of the NDC in the South-East demanded a N10 million payment from House of Representatives aspirants in addition to official nomination fees.
According to the suit, Okonkwo further alleged that documentary evidence existed to support the claim and that receipts for the payments had been issued.
The former actor was also accused of claiming that Obi personally compiled the party’s list of candidates from a hotel room and warned aspirants that they were being deceived.
Additional allegations cited in the suit included claims that Obi travelled abroad to collect money and that he, alongside other party leaders, was involved in criminal activities.
Obi’s legal team rejected the allegations, describing them as defamatory and entirely unsupported by facts.
“The statements falsely portray our client as a person who demands and collects bribes, extorts political aspirants, engages in fraud and criminal conspiracy, and perpetuates criminality,” the legal team stated.
According to the lawyers, the comments were intended to damage Obi’s reputation, lower him in the estimation of the public and expose him to ridicule and contempt.
The legal team expressed concern that the statements were made during a live television broadcast and subsequently circulated widely across social media and online platforms.
They argued that while freedom of expression is protected by law, it does not extend to making false statements that injure another person’s reputation.
As part of its demands, Obi’s legal team asked Okonkwo to immediately withdraw the statements and publish an unequivocal public apology.
The apology, they said, must receive the same prominence as the original allegations and be published across all his social media platforms, including X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
The lawyers also demanded a written undertaking from Okonkwo to refrain from making further defamatory statements against Obi, as well as the payment of financial compensation.
The dispute comes amid growing political tensions between the two former allies. Okonkwo recently distanced himself from the African Democratic Congress and has openly declared support for the presidential ambition of Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 general election.
As of the time of filing this report, Okonkwo had not publicly responded to the legal action.
