BREAKING: Kenneth Okonkwo Public Report Documents, Maintains Allegations Against Peter Obi, NDC Leaders Over Primary Election Payments
By Theodore Ikechukwu Amadi
E-ISSN: 2354-4481
Actor, lawyer, and politician Kenneth Okonkwo has released what he describes as documentary evidence to support his allegations that the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, and some Southeast leaders of the party demanded unauthorized payments from aspirants during the party's primary elections.
The development comes shortly after Peter Obi, through his legal representatives, issued a pre-action notice demanding a public apology and N5 billion in damages over alleged defamatory statements made by Okonkwo during an appearance on Channels Television's Sunrise Daily.
In that interview, Okonkwo alleged that House of Representatives aspirants were required to pay an additional N10 million to secure party tickets.
Responding in a series of posts on Wednesday, Okonkwo dismissed the legal threat and published what he identified as private conversations with Obunike Ohaegbu, an NDC House of Representatives aspirant for the Nnewi North/Nnewi South/Ekwusigo Federal Constituency.
According to Okonkwo, although Ohaegbu later appeared to soften his public position, the aspirant had privately alleged that Peter Obi played a central role in coordinating the alleged payment demands. Okonkwo claimed he withheld some details of their conversations, stating that he did so to avoid further damaging Obi's public reputation.
Okonkwo also shared excerpts of the alleged chat messages, in which Ohaegbu questioned the legitimacy of a candidate list reportedly compiled at Johnwood Hotel in Abuja. According to the messages, the list allegedly contained names of individuals who either did not win or did not participate in the party primaries, including Senator Victor Umeh.
Further defending his claims, Okonkwo stated that when Ohaegbu sought clarification from the party regarding the alleged N10 million House of Representatives fee and N20 million Senate fee, he was allegedly referred to Peter Obi and members of the party's state caucus as those responsible for the decision.
The former Labour Party spokesperson also referenced previous comments by Senator Seriake Dickson, who reportedly maintained that aspirants are only required to pay for Expression of Interest forms and that nomination fees become applicable only after verified primary winners emerge. Okonkwo argued that any financial demands before that stage would be inconsistent with established party guidelines.
Calling for official action, Okonkwo urged anti-corruption and security agencies to investigate the allegations and determine whether any financial impropriety occurred during the NDC primary process. He maintained that any aspirants who may have made unauthorized payments deserve restitution if the allegations are substantiated.
As of the time of filing this report, Peter Obi and the Nigeria Democratic Congress have not issued a fresh public response to the latest claims beyond the earlier legal demand seeking an apology and monetary damages. The allegations made by Kenneth Okonkwo remain unproven and are yet to be tested before a competent court or investigated by relevant authorities.
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