The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has instituted an ₦8 billion defamation suit against his former spokesperson and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kenneth Okonkwo, over allegations made during a television interview.
The suit, filed at the Onitsha Judicial Division of the Anambra State High Court on Thursday, follows the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum earlier issued to Okonkwo to retract the statements, apologise publicly and pay compensation.
Naija News reports that the dispute stems from comments made by Okonkwo during an appearance on Channels Television on June 8, where he alleged that Obi defrauded House of Representatives aspirants of ₦10 million each and personally compiled the list of candidates for federal constituencies in the South-East.
Following the interview, Obi, through his lawyer, Chief Alex Ejesieme (SAN), issued a pre-action notice dated June 9, demanding a retraction, apology and ₦5 billion in compensation.
However, in a response dated June 16 and signed by his lawyer, V.I. Uma, Okonkwo rejected the demands and maintained that he stood by his allegations.
According to court documents, the writ of summons, dated June 25, was endorsed by the court for service on Okonkwo in Enugu State.
Obi described both the television interview and Okonkwo’s subsequent publications on social media as “false, malicious, baseless and defamatory.”
The former Anambra State governor is asking the court to award:
₦5 billion as general damages for injury to his reputation, integrity, political standing and goodwill;
₦2 billion as aggravated damages over what he described as the continued repetition and wide circulation of the allegations after receiving the pre-action notice; and
₦1 billion as exemplary damages for the alleged deliberate amplification of the claims.
Obi is also asking the court to order Okonkwo to publish a full, unreserved and unequivocal apology within seven days of judgment on Channels Television, the station’s YouTube platform, all his social media accounts and in three national newspapers.
He further prayed the court to compel the defendant to delete all alleged defamatory publications from his social media platforms and websites under his control.
The suit also seeks a perpetual injunction restraining Okonkwo or his agents from making or circulating similar statements against him in the future, as well as the cost of the suit and 10 per cent annual post-judgment interest on any monetary award.
Obi and Okonkwo were once close political associates during their time in the Labour Party, where the actor-turned-politician served as Obi’s spokesperson during the 2023 presidential campaign.
According to the report, both later joined the ADC ahead of preparations for the 2027 elections, but Obi subsequently moved to the NDC, where he emerged as the party’s presidential candidate.
