The presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has filed a defamation lawsuit against politician and lawyer Kenneth Okonkwo at the High Court of Justice in Anambra State over allegations of bribery and irregularities in the party’s candidate selection process.
The case, filed at the Onitsha Judicial Division, commenced with a writ of summons dated June 25, 2026.
According to court documents, Obi is demanding a total of N8 billion in damages, a public apology, and a perpetual injunction preventing Okonkwo from making or publishing similar allegations in the future.
The legal action follows comments allegedly made by Okonkwo during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on June 8, 2026. During the interview, he reportedly claimed that Obi and other leaders of the party collected N10 million from House of Representatives aspirants seeking party tickets and manipulated the selection of candidates outside the officially recognised primary election process.
Obi, through his legal team led by Chief Alex Ejesieme (SAN), had earlier issued a seven-day demand letter on June 9, requesting that Okonkwo retract the statements and publish a public apology. The notice also warned that legal proceedings would follow if the demand was ignored.
After Okonkwo allegedly failed to withdraw the claims, Obi proceeded with the suit.
In the lawsuit, Obi is seeking N5 billion as general damages for the alleged harm caused to his reputation, integrity, and political standing, N2 billion as aggravated damages, and N1 billion as exemplary damages, citing the continued circulation of the allegations on various social media platforms.
He is also asking the court to order Okonkwo to publish an unreserved apology on Channels Television, across his social media platforms, and in three national newspapers.
Additionally, Obi is requesting a perpetual injunction restraining Okonkwo, his agents, or associates from making or disseminating any further statements accusing him of bribery, fraud, scams, or any other criminal conduct.
According to the suit, Obi sought judicial intervention because allegations of such seriousness should be resolved by the courts rather than through public media debates, especially after Okonkwo reportedly indicated that he possessed additional information that he intended to reveal later.
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