Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has issued a pre-action notice threatening a ₦5 billion defamation lawsuit against Kenneth Okonkwo, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), over alleged defamatory statements.

The notice, signed by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Alex Ejesieme, demands that Okonkwo publish an unreserved apology following comments he made during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.

During the programme, Okonkwo alleged that Obi and members of the NDC’s south-east caucus demanded bribes from House of Representatives and Senate aspirants in exchange for party tickets. He also claimed that Obunike Ohaegbu, an NDC House of Representatives aspirant in Anambra State, alleged he was defrauded of ₦10 million in the process.

However, Ohaegbu later appeared on the same programme to deny the allegation, stating that the ₦10 million payment was made into the NDC’s bank account based on instructions from the party’s national secretary, and not directly to Obi.

In the legal notice, Obi described Okonkwo’s remarks as “extremely grave, damaging and reckless imputations” of bribery, fraud, extortion, and financial misconduct. He insisted the claims were “false, baseless, malicious, reckless, defamatory and wholly unsupported by any fact.”

The letter further stated that the statements were intended to damage Obi’s reputation and expose him to public ridicule, noting that they were made on live television and widely circulated on social media platforms, where they gained further traction.

Obi demanded that Okonkwo retract the allegations, issue a public apology across Channels Television, X (formerly Twitter), and other platforms, and pay ₦5 billion in damages for reputational harm. He warned that legal action would follow if the demands are not met within the stipulated timeframe.

The dispute comes despite the pair’s past political alliance during the 2023 elections, when Okonkwo served as a spokesperson for Obi’s presidential campaign after leaving the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Labour Party (LP).

Reacting to the development, Okonkwo dismissed the threat in a post on X, saying he had not fully reviewed the letter but would respond in due course. He maintained his position, suggesting that the matter should proceed to court if necessary.

He also referenced his past involvement in Obi’s campaign and accused the move of being unjustified, while insisting he would address the allegations once he had studied the legal notice.