Former Anambra State governor and NDC presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has demanded an immediate withdrawal of what he described as false and defamatory statements allegedly made against him by actor turned politician Kenneth Okonkwo.
In a letter dated June 9, 2026, and signed by Chief Alex Ejesieme (SAN) of Alex Ejesieme (SAN) & Co., Obi’s legal team accused Okonkwo of making damaging allegations during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on June 8.
According to the letter, the statements were subsequently reported by several media organisations and circulated widely across online platforms.
The lawyers claimed that Okonkwo alleged that Obi and leaders of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in the South East demanded a ₦10 million bribe from House of Representatives aspirants after payment of official expression of interest fees.
The letter further stated that Okonkwo allegedly claimed there was documentary evidence of such payments, that Obi personally compiled the party’s list of candidates from a hotel room, warned aspirants that Obi would “scam” them, travelled abroad to collect money from individuals, and was involved in what he described as criminal activities alongside party leaders.
Obi’s legal representatives rejected the allegations in their entirety, describing them as false, malicious and unsupported by facts.
“For the avoidance of doubt, our Client states categorically that the said allegations are false, baseless, malicious, reckless, defamatory and wholly unsupported by any fact,” the letter stated.
The lawyers argued that the remarks portrayed Obi as someone involved in bribery, extortion, fraud and criminal conspiracy, thereby damaging his reputation and public standing.
“Your words were not mere political commentary. They crossed the permissible bounds of fair comment and constituted a direct assault on our Client’s person, integrity, image and reputation,” the letter added.
The legal team also maintained that freedom of expression does not protect the publication of false allegations that accuse another person of criminal conduct.
“The right to freedom of expression does not extend to the reckless destruction of another person’s reputation,” the letter said.
Obi’s lawyers subsequently demanded that Okonkwo, within seven days, withdraw the statements, issue an “unequivocal and unreserved public apology,” and ensure that the apology receives equal or greater prominence than the original publication across all platforms where the remarks were circulated.
They also demanded payment of ₦5 billion as general, aggravated and exemplary damages.
The letter warned that failure to comply with the demands would leave Obi with no option but to initiate legal proceedings.
“TAKE NOTICE that should you fail, refuse or neglect to comply with the above demands within the stipulated period, our Client shall be left with no option than to seek legal redress against you without further recourse to you,” the letter stated.
The lawyers added that any legal action would include claims for damages, injunctive reliefs, public retraction, apology and recovery of the full cost of the proceedings.
