Kenneth Okonkwo: Obi’s Lawsuit Against Me Based on Statements I Never Made

Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesperson for Atiku Abubakar’s 2027 presidential campaign, has insisted that the defamation suit filed against him by Peter Obi is based on statements he never made.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday, Okonkwo said the legal action against him was founded on allegations that did not accurately reflect his public remarks.

According to him, a defamation case should relate to statements already made and proven to have damaged another person’s reputation.

The dispute stems from comments Okonkwo made in June, during which he alleged that Obi and the South-East caucus of the Nigeria Democratic Congress demanded money from aspirants seeking party tickets.

He also referenced allegations involving Obunike Ohaegbu, an aspirant for a House of Representatives ticket in Anambra State, claiming Obi collected N10 million from him.

However, Ohaegbu later publicly denied the allegation, explaining that the N10 million was paid into the party’s official bank account based on instructions from the party’s national secretary and not directly to Obi.

Following the controversy, Obi threatened legal action and demanded N5 billion in damages, accusing Okonkwo of making defamatory statements that injured his reputation.

The former presidential candidate also warned that the lawsuit was intended to prevent further defamatory remarks.

Responding to Obi’s position, Okonkwo denied ever claiming that he possessed damaging information capable of destroying Obi politically.

“I did not say anything whether it would destroy him or not,” he stated.

He added that Obi had already initiated legal proceedings before the comments being attributed to him were allegedly made.

Okonkwo said he deliberately documented his interactions with Obi and published his position on his X account.

According to him, he merely advised Obi against suing a former spokesperson because legal proceedings could compel the disclosure of confidential information in the course of defending himself.

He further argued that the N5 billion claim originated from Obi’s pre-action notice rather than from the court itself.

“The N5 billion did not commence from the court; it commenced from his pre-action notice,” he said.

Okonkwo accused Obi of misrepresenting both the facts and the legal process surrounding the dispute, insisting that his public comments had been taken out of context and that the allegations forming the basis of the suit were inaccurate.