The Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) Legal Advocates for Ethics & Integrity (LAGEI) has called on lawyer Kenneth Okonkwo to retract defamatory claims against the party’s 2027 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and issue a public apology.
Mr. Maxwell Opara, convener of LAGEI, made the demand at a press briefing on Wednesday in Abuja, warning that failure to comply would result in disciplinary action before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC).
Okonkwo, reportedly a member of the African Democratic Party (ADC), had accused Obi of demanding N10 million from each aspirant contesting for the House of Representatives in the South-East. He also alleged that documentary evidence existed of the payments and claimed Obi personally compiled the party’s list of candidates from a hotel room.
Opara described the allegations as “false, malicious, and baseless,” stressing that LAGEI is constitutionally mandated to safeguard the integrity and reputation of the NDC and its presidential candidate. “Instead of promoting his own party’s policies and vision, Okonkwo has chosen to malign Mr. Peter Obi,” he said.
The NDC lawyers demanded that Okonkwo:
- Immediately retract all defamatory and criminal allegations against Peter Obi.
- Tender an unreserved public apology within 48 hours of the statement.
- Stop using his Igbo ethnic identity as a shield for political attacks.
Opara emphasized that LAGEI would not allow the reputation of Obi to be undermined for political gain and insisted that politics should focus on ideas, policies, and vision, not personal attacks. “Failure to comply will leave us with no choice but to pursue all lawful remedies to protect the integrity of our party and candidate,” he added.
