by Rachael Omidiji
A Nigerian actor and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kenneth Okonkwo, has released what he described as evidence to support his allegations of corruption during the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) primaries, days after facing a reported N5 billion defamation threat from the camp of the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Okonkwo shared a series of posts on social media, claiming that documents and conversations in his possession showed that some aspirants were asked to make payments to secure party tickets during the primary elections.
The former Labour Party chieftain accused Obi and some South-East leaders of being involved in the alleged arrangement.
The latest development follows a pre-litigation notice reportedly issued by Obi’s team over comments Okonkwo made on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme, where he alleged that House of Representatives aspirants were asked to pay as much as ₦10 million.
According to Okonkwo, part of the evidence includes conversations with Obunike Ohaegbu, who contested for the Nnewi North/South/Ekwusigo Federal Constituency seat.
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He claimed that Ohaegbu privately accused Obi of coordinating the process, although his later public comments appeared to downplay the allegations.
Okonkwo also referred to internal party communications, which he said showed that the additional fees demanded from aspirants were linked to directives from party leadership structures.
He called on anti-corruption agencies to investigate the matter and ensure accountability, insisting that aspirants who paid money should be refunded.
Peter Obi and the NDC leadership had not responded to the latest allegations as of the time this report was filed.