TDHuman rights lawyer and political aspirant, Obunike Ohaegbu, has publicly denied claims made by actor-turned-politician, Kenneth Okonkwo, regarding the internal crisis rocking the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
The development follows a television interview in which Okonkwo accused presidential candidate Peter Obi of fueling alleged irregularities within the NDC’s recently concluded primary election process.
During the interview, Okonkwo claimed that Ohaegbu had sent him an SOS message alleging that aspirants in the South-East were misled and subjected to an unfair nomination process.
According to Okonkwo, Ohaegbu allegedly complained that aspirants were encouraged to participate in primaries after making financial commitments, only for candidate lists to be determined elsewhere.
Okonkwo specifically cited Ohaegbu as one of the individuals he said had raised concerns about the conduct of the primaries and the role allegedly played by Peter Obi and other South-East political leaders.
He further alleged that aspirants paid substantial sums of money during the nomination process.
However, Ohaegbu has now publicly rejected those claims.
During an interview on Channels TV, Ohaegbu stated that he never sent any SOS message to Kenneth Okonkwo and never accused Peter Obi of defrauding him.
He maintained that the statements attributed to him by Okonkwo were false and misleading.
According to Ohaegbu, while he may have had concerns regarding aspects of the political process, he did not authorize Okonkwo to speak on his behalf or present him as evidence supporting allegations against Peter Obi.
The rebuttal has intensified the debate surrounding the NDC’s controversial primary elections, which have generated complaints and counter-complaints from various aspirants and party stakeholders across different regions of the country.
Okonkwo, a former ally of Peter Obi, has in recent months emerged as one of the former Labour Party presidential candidate’s fiercest critics.
In several interviews, he has accused Obi of failing to uphold democratic principles within opposition political structures.
The latest disagreement now places Ohaegbu at the center of a growing political controversy, as competing narratives emerge over what transpired during the NDC primaries and whether aspirants were treated fairly.
Political observers say Ohaegbu’s denial could weaken one of the key examples cited by Okonkwo to support his allegations against Obi and the NDC leadership.
Others argue that the dispute underscores the need for independent verification of claims made by all parties involved.
As of the time of filing this report, neither Peter Obi nor the NDC leadership had issued a detailed response specifically addressing Ohaegbu’s denial.
Previous reports indicated that the allegations made by Okonkwo remained unproven and were still matters of public dispute.
The controversy continues to generate reactions among party members and supporters, with many calling for transparency and clarification from all parties involved to establish the true circumstances surrounding the disputed claims.
End Note: The allegations made by Kenneth Okonkwo against Peter Obi and the NDC remain contested.
Obunike Ohaegbu has publicly denied key portions of Okonkwo’s account.
No independent evidence has yet been publicly presented to conclusively establish either position.
