Adesakin Adefemi
African Democratic Congress chieftain Kenneth Okonkwo has published alleged WhatsApp conversations to back his claim that Nigerian Democratic Congress presidential candidate Peter Obi was linked to money-for-ticket allegations in the party’s primary process.
Okonkwo, a lawyer and former actor, first made the allegation on Monday, saying Obi and other NDC South-East leaders collected N10 million from House of Representatives aspirants and N20 million from senatorial aspirants. He said aspirant Obunike Ohaegbu provided details and receipts of the payments.
The claim triggered legal action from Obi’s camp. Through lawyers led by Alex Ejesieme, SAN, Obi demanded N5 billion in damages and a public apology in a letter dated June 9, 2026, warning of further legal steps if the demands were not met.
On Wednesday morning, Okonkwo took to his X handle to share what he described as chats with Ohaegbu. He said the messages showed Ohaegbu stating that when questioned about who authorized the payments, the party pointed to Obi and a caucus assembled by him.
In the excerpts posted by Okonkwo, Ohaegbu allegedly expressed frustration with the NDC process. He said no consensus meeting was held with Anambra aspirants, unlike in Kano and some northern states, yet a candidate list emerged from a meeting at Johnwood Hotel in Abuja.
Ohaegbu’s purported message argued that true consensus requires consultation and agreement among stakeholders. He questioned the integrity of the primaries if aspirants were made to contest while candidate lists were allegedly compiled elsewhere, calling it “fraud” if otherwise.
Okonkwo defended making the allegations public, saying as a citizen and lawyer he has a duty to report crimes he becomes aware of. He stressed that South-East voters and Nigerians should not be taken for granted or defrauded without challenge.
Earlier, Okonkwo had dismissed Obi’s legal letter, saying he had not read it and would respond formally after reviewing it. He also warned that litigation could force him to disclose information obtained while he was Obi’s spokesperson.
The dispute marks a sharp break between the two former allies. Okonkwo left Obi’s camp after Obi defected from the ADC to the NDC. The exchanges have now pulled the NDC’s internal primary process into public scrutiny ahead of the next election cycle.
