Former Labour Party spokesman and African Democratic Congress chieftain, Kenneth Okonkwo, has released alleged WhatsApp conversations he says support his bribery allegations against the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, amid a growing legal battle between the two former allies.
Okonkwo had earlier accused Obi and some NDC leaders in the South-East of demanding ₦10 million from House of Representatives aspirants and ₦20 million from senatorial hopefuls during the party’s primary process.
The allegations prompted Obi’s legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Alex Ejesieme, to issue a June 9 letter demanding ₦5 billion in damages and a public apology from Okonkwo over what it described as defamatory claims.
However, in a series of posts on his X account on Wednesday, Okonkwo published screenshots of alleged WhatsApp exchanges with Obunike Ohaegbu, whom he identified as one of the party aspirants.
According to Okonkwo, Ohaegbu confirmed that when he questioned the payments, party officials allegedly told him that Peter Obi and South-East caucus leaders authorised them.
“Obunike Ohaegbu, when I questioned him to prove that Peter Obi was responsible for demanding the ₦10 million from him and other House of Representatives aspirants and ₦20 million from Senate aspirants, he made it clear that when he confronted the party on who authorised the payment, the party named Peter Obi and the caucus leaders assembled by Peter Obi,” Okonkwo wrote.
In the alleged messages, Ohaegbu expressed disappointment with the NDC primary process, claiming aspirants in Anambra State were excluded from consultations while candidate lists were allegedly prepared elsewhere.
He questioned how consensus candidates emerged despite the absence of negotiations with aspirants, arguing that the process raised serious concerns about transparency and integrity.
Okonkwo maintained that going public with the allegations was part of his duty as a lawyer and citizen.
Let me make it clear that as a citizen and a lawyer, I have a duty to disclose every crime against the state that comes within my knowledge. The South-East people have suffered enough,” he stated.
He added that no individual should be allowed to exploit Nigerians without being challenged.
Earlier, Okonkwo dismissed Obi’s demand for ₦5 billion in damages, saying he had not yet reviewed the letter but would respond after reading it.
He also warned that any court action could open the door to revelations about information he obtained while serving as Obi’s spokesperson.
Okonkwo and Obi were once political allies before parting ways after the former Anambra State governor moved from the African Democratic Congress to the Nigeria Democratic Congress.
