Jelili Gbadamosi
Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has challenged former ally Kenneth Okonkwo to publicly release any information he claims to possess against him, insisting that Nigerians deserve to know the truth about anyone seeking public office.
Obi made the call during an interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo, where he also declared that he would withdraw from the 2027 presidential race if any evidence presented by Okonkwo proves he is unfit to serve as president.
The former Anambra State governor recently instituted a defamation suit against Okonkwo, who now serves as spokesman for the presidential campaign of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
According to Obi, the lawsuit was not aimed at silencing his former spokesperson but rather to compel him to substantiate his repeated claims of possessing sensitive information about him.
“I want Kenneth Okonkwo to bring out all the ‘hidden things’ that he has on me. If I am not qualified after his revelation, then I’ll stop running for the election,” Obi said.
He explained that Okonkwo had repeatedly alleged that he possessed damaging information from the period he served as Obi’s spokesperson and had threatened to make it public if provoked or sued.
Responding to claims that the legal action was an attempt to suppress free speech, Obi maintained that his only intention was to ensure that any allegations against him are openly presented to Nigerians.
“Kenneth Okonkwo said, as my spokesperson, he had so many hidden things that if he’s provoked or sued, he will bring them out. And that’s the only thing I’m suing him for to bring those things out,” he added.
