The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has filed a N5 billion defamation lawsuit against his kinsman and former political ally, Kenneth Okonkwo .
The suit, dated June 9, 2026, and signed by Chief Alex Ejesieme (SAN), follows statements Okonkwo made during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on June 8, 2026 .
According to the legal document, Okonkwo allegedly claimed that Obi and South-East leaders of the NDC demanded a N10 million bribe from House of Representatives aspirants after they had paid the official expression of interest fee . Okonkwo also reportedly alleged that Obi personally compiled the party’s candidate list from a hotel room in Abuja and that Obi travels abroad to collect money from individuals .
Obi’s legal team described the statements as “false, baseless, malicious, reckless, defamatory and wholly unsupported by any fact” . The letter further stated that the remarks crossed the bounds of legitimate political criticism and constituted “a direct assault on our Client’s person, integrity, image and reputation” .
Obi has demanded a full withdrawal of the statements, a public apology across the same platforms where the comments were aired, a written undertaking to desist from further defamatory remarks, and the sum of N5 billion in damages .
Okonkwo has yet to publicly respond to the lawsuit. However, following the pre-action letter, he reportedly released what he termed “documentary evidence” to back his claims, insisting that Obi and NDC leaders demanded illicit payments from aspirants .
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