A prominent figure in the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), Kenneth Okonkwo, has released screenshots of alleged WhatsApp conversations which he says support his claims that presidential candidate Peter Obi and certain party leaders were involved in collecting money from aspirants during the party’s nomination process.
The development comes amid an escalating dispute between the former presidential spokesperson and Obi, who has already initiated legal proceedings over the allegations.
Okonkwo had earlier alleged that House of Representatives aspirants were asked to pay N10 million, while senatorial hopefuls allegedly paid N20 million during the party’s candidate selection process in the South-East.
According to him, one of the aspirants, Obunike Ohaegbu, provided details of the payments and related evidence.
In response to the accusations, Obi’s legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Alex Ejesieme, issued a letter demanding a public apology and N5 billion in damages for alleged defamation.
The legal notice warned that further action could follow should the demands not be met.
However, Okonkwo maintained his position on Wednesday, publishing excerpts of what he described as conversations with Ohaegbu.
In the messages, the aspirant allegedly expressed dissatisfaction with the conduct of the party’s primary elections and questioned how candidate lists were produced despite the absence of consensus meetings involving aspirants in Anambra State.
According to the messages shared by Okonkwo, Ohaegbu claimed that while aspirants in some northern states were reportedly engaged in consultations aimed at reaching consensus, no similar process took place in Anambra.
He reportedly argued that aspirants participated fully in the primaries believing the outcome would determine party candidates.
The messages further raised concerns about allegations that candidate lists were prepared outside the formal primary process, suggesting that such actions, if proven, would undermine the credibility and transparency of the exercise.
Defending his decision to make the allegations public, Okonkwo said he was acting out of civic responsibility.
He argued that both citizens and legal practitioners have a duty to expose any wrongdoing that comes to their attention.
“The people of the South-East have suffered enough. No individual should be allowed to take citizens for granted or engage in acts that undermine public trust without being challenged,” he said.
The former actor-turned-politician also disclosed that he had not yet formally responded to the letter from Obi’s lawyers, stating that he would do so after reviewing its contents.
He further suggested that any court proceedings could result in additional information emerging from his time as Obi’s spokesperson.
Okonkwo and Obi were once political allies before their relationship deteriorated following Obi’s departure from the African Democratic Congress and subsequent move to the NDC.
The controversy continues to generate political attention, with observers closely watching whether the dispute will be resolved through legal proceedings or further public exchanges between the two former associates.
