Lucky Obukohwo Reporting
Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Peter Obi, has initiated a defamation suit against his former campaign spokesman, Kenneth Okonkwo, by filing a writ of summons at the High Court of Anambra State, Onitsha Judicial Division.
In the suit marked O/229/26, Obi is listed as the plaintiff while Okonkwo is the defendant. The case stems from comments allegedly made by Okonkwo during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on June 8, 2026, where he accused Obi of demanding money from NDC aspirants in exchange for party tickets.
Obi’s legal team has described the allegation as false, malicious, baseless, and defamatory.
The writ, issued by Alex Ejesieme of Alex Ejesieme SAN & Co. (Madiba Chambers), directs Okonkwo to enter an appearance within 42 days of being served, warning that failure to do so may result in judgment being entered in his absence.
The document, dated June 25, 2026, is to be served on Okonkwo at his residence in Ofuluonu, Nsukka, Enugu State.
A writ of summons is a formal court document that initiates a civil case, requiring a defendant to appear before the court to respond to claims and remedies sought by the plaintiff.
In the reliefs sought before the court, Obi is asking for an order compelling Okonkwo to permanently and prominently publish a retraction and apology across all his social media platforms, including pinning it where possible, with a restriction that prevents its deletion or alteration for as long as the accounts remain active.
He is also seeking a perpetual injunction restraining Okonkwo from further publishing, repeating, or circulating any allegations accusing him of bribery, fraud, extortion, theft, scam, or any form of criminal misconduct.
In addition, Obi is requesting that the court orders the complete removal of all posts, interviews, videos, captions, and comments containing the disputed statements from all platforms under Okonkwo’s control.
The suit further includes a demand for costs and post-judgment interest at the rate of 10 per cent per annum on any monetary award until full liquidation.
Court filings show that Okonkwo previously served as one of Obi’s presidential campaign spokesmen during the 2023 elections, but their relationship later deteriorated.
The fallout deepened after the elections, with Okonkwo increasingly criticising Obi’s political decisions, leadership style, and direction of the party, a rift that has widened further in 2026.
Prior to the court action, Obi’s lawyers had issued a letter dated June 9, alleging that Okonkwo claimed during a televised interview that Obi and certain NDC leaders in the South-East demanded N10 million from House of Representatives aspirants after payment of official nomination fees.
The letter also accused Okonkwo of alleging that Obi compiled candidate lists from a hotel room and received funds from individuals abroad.
The legal team had demanded a full retraction, a public apology, and N5 billion in damages within seven days.
In response, Okonkwo, through his lawyers on June 16, rejected the allegations, insisting his comments were based on information from an aggrieved NDC aspirant.
He further accused Obi of attempting to “distract and cow” him from exposing alleged irregularities in the party’s primary elections.
