NEWS
Peter Obi’s Legal Team Issues Defamation Demand Letter to Kenneth Okonkwo Over Live TV Allegations
Former Governor of Anambra State and presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Peter Obi, has taken a formal legal step against actor and politician Kenneth Okonkwo following comments made during a live television broadcast, with his legal team issuing a detailed letter of demand over what it describes as defamatory and damaging allegations.
The letter, dated June 9, 2026, was issued by Chief Alex Ejesieme, SAN, of Alex Ejesieme (SAN) & Co (Madiba Chambers), and follows statements made by Okonkwo during a live appearance on Channels Television’s programme, “Sunrise Daily”, aired on June 8, 2026.
According to the legal notice, the remarks were later amplified by multiple media platforms under headlines such as “Kenneth Okonkwo Criticises Peter Obi, Condemns NDC Primaries”, which Obi’s legal team says further escalated the reach and impact of the claims.
The letter outlines several statements attributed to Okonkwo, which Obi’s lawyers insist are false and highly damaging. It states that Okonkwo alleged:
“(a) that our Client, Mr. Peter Obi, together with the leaders of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in the South-East, informed the party’s aspirants that any person seeking to contest as a member of the House of Representatives must, after paying the prescribed expression of interest fee, pay a bribe of Ten Million Naira (₦10,000,000.00) to the NDC and to the Caucus leaders;”
The document further lists additional remarks allegedly made during the broadcast, including:
“(b) that the said unlawful demand was accompanied by documentary proof; the person who relayed the information to you having sent the said information together with the receipt evidencing the payment;
“(c) that our Client personally wrote and compiled the list of the party’s candidates from his hotel room at the Johnwood Hotel;
’(d) that you warned the said aspirants that our Client is going to scam them;
“(e) that our Client travels abroad to collect money from people; and
“(f) that our Client and the leaders of the NDC in the South-East are perpetuating criminality.”
In strong rejection of the allegations, Obi’s legal representatives insisted the comments were not only unfounded but also malicious in intent, arguing that they directly attack his reputation and public integrity.
“The above statements, in their natural and ordinary meaning, and by necessary implication, falsely and maliciously represent our Client as a person who demands, solicits, organises and collects bribes; who extorts, defrauds and swindles political aspirants of their money; who is a fraudster, a scammer and a dishonest political actor; and who, in concert with others, is engaged in criminal conspiracy and is actively perpetuating criminality. These are extremely grave, damaging and reckless imputations of bribery, extortion, fraud, financial dishonesty and criminality directed at the character, integrity, reputation and public standing of our Client.”
The legal team further stressed that the statements, given their broadcast on live television and subsequent circulation online, had caused widespread reputational harm.
“For the avoidance of doubt, our Client states categorically that the said allegations are false, baseless, malicious, reckless, defamatory and wholly unsupported by any fact. They were made with the clear intent and purpose of lowering our Client in the estimation of right-thinking members of society, exposing him to hatred, contempt and ridicule, and injuring his hard-earned reputation as a man of unquestionable integrity, a statesman and a political leader. It is particularly disturbing that the said statements were made by you on live television and were thereafter republished, broadcast and widely circulated through online and social media platforms, including video-sharing platforms, where such falsehoods spread rapidly and assume a life of their own. Your words were not mere political commentary. They crossed the permissible bounds of fair comment and constituted a direct assault on our Client’s person, integrity, image and reputation.”
The lawyers emphasized that while freedom of expression is constitutionally protected, it does not extend to what they described as reckless defamation and character assassination.
The letter concludes with firm demands requiring Okonkwo to immediately retract the statements in full and issue an unreserved public apology to Obi. The apology, according to the demand, must be given equal prominence to the original broadcast and published across all of Okonkwo’s social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
It also requires a written undertaking that he will refrain from making or publishing further defamatory statements against Obi, alongside a demand for financial compensation.
The legal team warned that failure to comply within seven days would leave their client with no option but to. seek full legal redress in court.