I Said What I Said’ – Okonkwo Dismisses Peter Obi’s Demand

An African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, Kenneth Okonkwo, has rejected a demand by the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, to retract comments he made concerning the party’s primary election process, insisting that his statements were based on information provided by party aspirants and other credible sources.

According to reports, the disagreement stems from remarks Okonkwo made during an interview on Channels Television, where he alleged that some aspirants seeking NDC tickets were required to make financial payments as part of the nomination process.

Following the interview, Obi, through his counsel, Alex Ejesieme (SAN), issued a pre-action notice requesting a public retraction and apology while demanding ₦5 billion in damages over what he described as false, malicious and defamatory allegations.

In a response dated June 16, Okonkwo, through his legal representatives at Supreme God Chambers, firmly denied defaming the former Anambra State governor, maintaining that the statements reflected factual information made available to him.

The legal team stated that their client’s comments were founded on complaints allegedly raised by an NDC House of Representatives aspirant from Anambra State, Obunike Ohaegbu, as well as concerns expressed by other members of the party.

According to the lawyers, Ohaegbu approached Okonkwo seeking assistance in recovering ₦10 million he allegedly paid during the party’s nomination process after believing he had secured the ticket, only to later be directed to participate in direct primaries. The response further claimed that the aspirant attributed the development to Obi and encouraged Okonkwo to bring the matter into the public domain.

The legal team also cited complaints reportedly made by other aspirants, including former Enugu State senatorial aspirant OAU Onyema, alleging that several individuals paid various sums during the screening and nomination process but later felt misled by party officials.

Defending their client’s actions, the lawyers argued that Okonkwo acted within his constitutional rights as a lawyer, politician and public affairs analyst by speaking on issues of public interest.

They maintained that he stands by every statement made during the television interview, describing his comments as an effort to expose what they termed transactional politics, ticket racketeering, extortion of aspirants, misleading representations, false pretence, undue influence and coercive pressure within the political process.

Okonkwo’s legal team also accused Obi’s camp of violating their client’s privacy by allegedly publishing his personal telephone number after the pre-action notice became public, claiming the action subjected him to harassment and unwarranted attacks.