By Opeyemi Adelakun
Former Labour Party presidential campaign spokesman, Kenneth Okonkwo, has mocked reports that former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, is demanding N5 billion in damages over alleged defamatory statements made against him.
Okonkwo, a veteran Nollywood actor and politician, reacted to the development in a statement shared on his X handle on Wednesday, describing the reported legal demand as an attempt to raise campaign funds.
“It has been brought to my notice that there is a letter circulating online from the hypocrite, Peter Obi, and his lawyers that I should pay him N5bn. Hahaha!” he wrote.
The former spokesperson to Obi during the 2023 presidential campaign said that if the former Labour Party candidate needed financial support for political activities, he should approach him privately instead of pursuing what he described as extortion.
“If Peter Obi is looking for money to campaign, he should privately ask me for assistance, not come from extortion, and I will help him. I did so when I was his spokesperson, paying for my flight tickets and booking for my hotel accommodation to some of our campaigns,” Okonkwo stated.
He further claimed that he personally financed some of his participation in campaign activities, including transportation and accommodation expenses during his time as Obi’s spokesman.
Okonkwo also suggested that any legal proceedings could lead to the disclosure of information he obtained while working closely with Obi. According to him, he had chosen not to reveal certain confidential details out of principle but indicated that the situation could change if the matter proceeds to court.
The actor-turned-politician maintained that he had yet to review the letter reportedly sent by Obi’s legal team but challenged them to proceed with the action, insisting that he was ready to respond appropriately after reading the document.
He added that a formal response would be issued once he had examined the contents of the demand letter.
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