A fresh twist has emerged in the dispute between former allies Kenneth Okonkwo and Peter Obi after the ADC chieftain released alleged WhatsApp conversations which he claimed support his allegations of bribery during the NDC primary election process.
The controversy began earlier this week when Okonkwo accused Obi and some NDC leaders in the South-East of collecting money from aspirants contesting for House of Representatives and Senate tickets. He alleged that aspirants were asked to make payments before participating in the party’s nomination process.
The allegations sparked a strong response from Obi, whose legal team issued a demand seeking N5 billion in damages and a public apology from Okonkwo over what it described as defamatory claims. The former Anambra State governor also indicated that legal action could follow if the demands were not met.
Despite the legal threat, Okonkwo maintained his position and moved to support his allegations by publishing what he described as evidence from conversations with an aspirant, Obunike Ohaegbu.
According to Okonkwo, the aspirant had previously provided him with information about the alleged payments and linked the process to decisions taken by party leaders. He said the conversations raised concerns about how candidates emerged from the party’s primary elections.
The released messages allegedly contained complaints from the aspirant regarding the conduct of the nomination process. According to the content shared by Okonkwo, concerns were raised over how candidate lists were prepared and whether proper consultations were carried out with aspirants before decisions were made.
The aspirant was said to have questioned how certain candidates emerged when, according to his account, no consensus meetings or negotiations involving aspirants in his state were held before the final list was produced.
Okonkwo also defended his decision to make the allegations public, insisting that he had a responsibility as both a lawyer and a citizen to speak out on issues he considered important. He maintained that he would not remain silent if he believed wrongdoing had occurred.
The former actor further stated that he remained committed to pursuing the matter and insisted that his actions were driven by what he described as a desire for accountability within the political process.
The dispute has further widened the rift between Okonkwo and Obi, who were once political allies before parting ways following Obi’s move from the ADC to the NDC.
While Obi’s camp continues to challenge the allegations through legal channels, Okonkwo has shown no sign of backing down and insists that the information he released supports his claims.
With legal action now looming and both sides holding firm to their positions, the dispute is expected to attract further public and political attention in the coming days.