Furious Peter Obi sues brother 

The 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has threatened to file a N5 billion defamation lawsuit against his former ally and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kenneth Okonkwo, over alleged defamatory statements made during a television interview.

In a pre-action letter issued through his lawyer, Alex Ejesieme, SAN, Obi accused Okonkwo of making false and damaging claims during an appearance on Sunrise Daily, a programme on Channels Television, on Monday.

Obi said the statements portrayed him as being involved in bribery, fraud and financial misconduct, describing the allegations as “reckless imputations” aimed at damaging his reputation and public standing.

Both politicians were once close allies, having worked together in the Labour Party before moving to the ADC, after which Obi later defected to the NDC.

During the interview, Okonkwo allegedly claimed that Obi and the NDC’s South-East caucus demanded a N10 million bribe from House of Representatives aspirants in exchange for party tickets. He also referenced claims linked to an aspirant, Obunike Ohaegbu, who was said to have sent him messages and receipts supporting the allegation.

Okonkwo further alleged that after payments were made, aspirants were instructed to contest in primaries rather than being handed automatic tickets, and accused Obi of influencing the preparation of candidate lists at a hotel in Abuja.

However, Ohaegbu, who was cited in the claims, later denied making such allegations during a separate appearance on the same programme on Tuesday, insisting he never accused Obi or any party officials of bribery or extortion.

He clarified that he only referred to general “allegations” without attributing wrongdoing to specific individuals.

In his legal letter, Obi demanded that Okonkwo withdraw the statements, issue a public apology on Channels Television and across all social media platforms within seven days, and publish a retraction.

He also demanded N5 billion in damages, describing the alleged statements as highly injurious and capable of exposing him to public hatred and ridicule. Obi further requested a written undertaking from Okonkwo to refrain from repeating or circulating the allegations.

The letter warned that failure to comply would leave Obi with no option but to pursue legal action, including claims for aggravated and exemplary damages, injunctive reliefs, and full legal costs.

As of the time of filing this report, Okonkwo had not issued any public response to the allegati

ons or the legal threat.