Okonkwo dismisses Obi’s N5bn suit, alleges irregularities in NDC primaries

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kenneth Okonkwo, has rejected a N5 billion defamation suit filed against him by former Anambra State governor and presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, insisting that his comments were based on complaints made by aggrieved party aspirants.

Obi, through his lawyers, Chief Alex Ejesieme (SAN) & Co., had demanded a retraction, public apology and damages over statements allegedly made by Okonkwo during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on June 8.

The former Anambra governor accused Okonkwo of making false and damaging allegations, including claims that aspirants seeking elective offices under the NDC were asked to make payments beyond official party fees and that the party’s candidate selection process was manipulated.

In a response dated June 16 and issued through Supreme God Chambers, Okonkwo denied defaming Obi and described the legal action as an attempt to silence criticism and discourage scrutiny of the party’s internal affairs.

According to Okonkwo, his remarks were based on complaints brought to him by party aspirants, including one Obunike Ohaegbu, who allegedly claimed he paid N10 million after being led to believe the payment would secure him a House of Representatives ticket.

“Our client stands by the truth of all he declared on Channels TV. The whole idea of his speaking on Channels TV is to expose transactional politics, ticket racketeering, extortion of aspirants, misleading representations, false pretence, undue influence and coercive pressure,” the response letter stated.

Okonkwo also accused Obi of violating his privacy by allegedly allowing his personal telephone number to be published in documents circulated online, claiming the disclosure exposed him to threats, harassment and abuse from supporters of the former presidential candidate.

He further alleged that aspirants across several South-East states paid substantial sums for legislative tickets and claimed that candidate lists were compiled before the completion of party primaries, maintaining that the allegations he raised were supported by information supplied by affected aspirants.