Okonkwo Reacts to Peter Obi’s ₦5bn Lawsuit Threat, Says ‘He’s Looking for Campaign Funds’

Okonkwo Reacts to Peter Obi’s ₦5bn Lawsuit Threat, Says ‘He’s Looking for Campaign Funds’

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) , Kenneth Okonkwo, has dismissed the N5 billion lawsuit threat issued against him by the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) , Peter Obi, over alleged defamation. Okonkwo, who served as a spokesperson for Obi during the 2023 presidential campaign when both were members of the Labour Party, made his position known in a statement posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Wednesday morning. NewsTrends.ng earlier reported that Mr Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, had threatened to file a N5 billion lawsuit against Mr Okonkwo if he fails to withdraw his allegations against him, pay N5 billion as compensation and tender public apology within seven days. The former governor had, in his pre-action letter to Mr Okonkwo on Tuesday, claimed the ADC chieftain defamed him by alleging that he defrauded House of Representatives aspirants of N10 million each and went ahead to write a list of candidates for various federal constituencies in the South-east.

In his first public response on Wednesday morning, Mr Okonkwo laughed off Mr Obi’s lawsuit threat. In a post on his verified X handle, the ADC chieftain mocked Mr Obi, saying the NDC presidential candidate should have approached him for financial assistance if he needed funds for his campaigns rather than allegedly embarking on “extortion.” “It has been brought to my notice that there is a letter circulating online from the hypocrite, Peter Obi, and his Lawyers that I should pay him N5b. Hahaha!” he wrote. “If Peter Obi is looking for money to campaign, he should privately ask me for assistance, not come from extortion, and I will help him.” The former Labour Party chieftain claimed that he personally incurred expenses while serving as Obi’s spokesperson during the 2023 election campaign. “I did so when I was his Spokesperson paying for my flight tickets and booking for my hotel accommodation to some of our campaigns,” he said.

Okonkwo also warned that Obi’s lawyers should take responsibility for any information that could emerge if the dispute proceeds to court. He suggested that he possesses sensitive information obtained while serving as Obi’s spokesperson but has refrained from making it public out of principle. “Let me sound this note of warning, the Lawyers must take responsibility for any information I may have to divulge, which I acquired as a spokesperson, but which by my conscience I have not shared with anyone,” he stated. The former spokesperson said although his principle is that he does not use “any confidential information” he shared with people against them, Mr Obi might compel him to do so. “Anyone who decides to sue his former spokesperson for defamation is indeed very unwise,” he said of Mr Obi’s threat to sue him.

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Mr Okonkwo then challenged Mr Obi to sue him even as he claimed he had not read the letter and would respond after doing so later on Wednesday. “I will reply to the letter whenever I have the time to read it later in the day. Please send it here if you have it. It will be a shame to Peter Obi and his lawyers if they do not take this case to court,” he said in the X post. The ADC chieftain again described Mr Obi as a “hypocrite” and “a scammer” despite the pre-action letter, adding, “I don’t have time or patience for scammers.”

A House of Representatives aspirant in the NDC from Anambra State, Obunike Ohaegbu, has denied telling Mr Okonkwo that Mr Obi scammed him of N10 million or wrote list of candidates in a hotel room. But in the X post, Mr Okonkwo uploaded a screenshot of his WhatsApp chats with Mr Ohaegbu as evidence of the allegation against Mr Obi. However, in the WhatsApp chat, an individual he claimed to be Mr Ohaegbu sent him a message that “…I am saying that I was scammed and the party blames PO.” The chat did not show the individual alleging that Mr Obi or the South-east NDC caucus collected N10 million bribe from him or any other aspirant. Reacting to the post, an X user, Michael Adewuyi, commented, apparently disputing Mr Okonkwo’s claims: “Even though I am not an NDC supporter, you are a big Liar! What is in those text messages exchange is not what you have been saying. ‘The aspirant said he was scammed and the party blames PO’ while you have been saying that the aspirant said PO scammed him. You are a very dishonest individual. What a shame!”

Mr Okonkwo also uploaded on the microblogging platform a bank transaction receipt of N10 million reportedly forwarded to him by Mr Ohaegbu as evidence of the extortion. However, NewsTrends.ng observed that the receipt showed that the payment was made to the official NDC bank account, not Mr Obi’s account or NDC South-east caucus’s account as he earlier claimed. Some X users faulted him for uploading weak evidence, with many saying the receipt looked like payment for NDC expression of interest form. “Okonkwo should have his time in court or apologise to Peter Obi. What he (Okonkwo) presented as evidence of payment to Obi is just payment for party nomination,” an X user (@HAHayatu) wrote.

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The legal threat stems from Okonkwo’s allegations during his Channels Television’s “Sunrise Daily” appearance on Monday, June 8, 2026, where he claimed that House of Representatives aspirants were coerced into paying a N10 million bribe under Obi’s watch, with Senate aspirants allegedly asked to pay N20 million. Obi’s legal team, led by Chief Alex Ejesieme (SAN) , outlined six specific defamatory statements in their pre-litigation letter, including that Okonkwo alleged that Obi personally wrote candidate lists at the Johnwood Hotel in Abuja, demanded and collected bribes, extorted and swindled political aspirants, is a fraudster and scammer, and travels abroad to collect money from people. The legal team argued that these statements have caused “irreparable damage” to Obi’s reputation as a man of integrity. The letter demanded that Okonkwo withdraw the statements, issue an “unequivocal and unreserved” public apology across all platforms, provide a written undertaking to cease further defamatory statements, and pay N5 billion in general, aggravated, and exemplary damages.

Mr Ohaegbu, who was the NDC candidate for the Nnewi North/South/Ekwusigo Federal Constituency, denied telling Mr Okonkwo that Mr Obi scammed him. In a telephone interview, Mr Ohaegbu stated: “I never told Kenneth Okonkwo that Peter Obi asked me to pay N10 million. I never told him that Peter Obi wrote any list in any hotel. What I told him was that there were allegations that some people were writing lists in hotels, but I never mentioned Peter Obi’s name.” This direct contradiction raises serious questions about the authenticity of Okonkwo’s claims and whether the WhatsApp screenshots have been taken out of context or selectively edited to misrepresent the aspirant’s position.

The latest exchange marks a complete breakdown of the former alliance between the two politicians who worked closely during the 2023 presidential election. Following political realignments and his departure from the Labour Party to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Okonkwo has frequently criticized Obi’s political stability and leadership choices ahead of the 2027 election cycle. As of press time, Obi’s legal team has not issued any further statement regarding Okonkwo’s response. The seven-day ultimatum given to Okonkwo to comply with the demands is still running, and it remains to be seen whether Obi will proceed with the lawsuit or if both parties will reach an out-of-court settlement. Legal analysts note that proving defamation requires showing that Okonkwo’s statements were false, malicious, and caused actual damage. However, if Okonkwo can prove his evidence is authentic, the defense of justification (truth) could apply in court.

Okonkwo Reacts to Peter Obi’s ₦5bn Lawsuit Threat, Says ‘He’s Looking for Campaign Funds’