Actor-turned-politician and former spokesman of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, Kenneth Okonkwo, has released what he described as documentary evidence to support his allegations that the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, and some South-East leaders of the party, demanded payments from aspirants seeking elective positions.
Okonkwo made the disclosure on Wednesday, amid a growing dispute with Obi following a pre-litigation notice issued by the former Anambra State governor’s legal team over alleged defamatory comments made during a recent television interview.
The legal team had threatened a N5 billion defamation suit after Okonkwo, speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, alleged that House of Representatives aspirants in the party were compelled to pay N10 million each to secure nomination tickets.
However, in a series of posts on his X handle on Wednesday, Okonkwo maintained his position, insisting that the allegations were backed by evidence and witness accounts.
According to him, one of the key figures in the controversy is Obunike Ohaegbu, an NDC House of Representatives aspirant for the Nnewi North/Nnewi South/Ekwusigo Federal Constituency, whom he claimed had privately complained about the alleged extortion during the party’s primary process.
Okonkwo alleged that although Ohaegbu later softened his stance in public interviews, he had earlier identified Obi as the central figure coordinating the collection of the funds.
The former presidential campaign spokesman said the materials he released included private conversations and other documents which, according to him, support his claims that aspirants were pressured to make payments before being considered for party tickets.
He challenged Obi and the party leadership to address the substance of the allegations rather than resorting to legal threats.
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“Instead of intimidation and threats of litigation, the issues raised should be transparently investigated in the interest of accountability and democratic integrity,” Okonkwo reportedly stated.
The development has further intensified the public fallout between the former allies, whose relationship deteriorated following disagreements over political strategy and party affairs after the 2023 general elections.
Neither Obi nor the NDC leadership had issued an official response to the latest claims as of the time of filing this report.
Political observers say the controversy could generate fresh debates about transparency in party primaries and internal democracy ahead of future electoral contests.
