TD Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) House of Representatives aspirant, Chief Obunike Ohaegbu, has reportedly filed a ₦700 million lawsuit against former Labour Party spokesperson, Barrister Kenneth Okonkwo.
Ohaegbu is also said to have petitioned the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) over Okonkwo’s allegations concerning the NDC’s nomination process.
The de iivelopment follows a public dispute between the two politicians over comments made by Okonkwo concerning Ohaegbu and NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi.
In June, Okonkwo alleged during a Channels Television interview that Obi and members of the NDC South-East caucus demanded ₦10 million from House of Representatives aspirants in exchange for party tickets.
Okonkwo specifically cited Ohaegbu as one of the aspirants who allegedly complained about the payment.
Ohaegbu subsequently denied making the allegations against Obi.
He said he never told Okonkwo that Obi demanded or collected ₦10 million from him.
Ohaegbu also disputed the claim that he had accused the NDC South-East caucus of bribery or alleged that Obi personally compiled the party’s list of candidates.
The controversy later escalated into a separate legal battle between Obi and Okonkwo.
Obi initially demanded ₦5 billion in damages and an apology from Okonkwo over the alleged defamatory statements.
Obi subsequently filed an ₦8 billion defamation suit against Okonkwo at the Anambra State High Court.
The latest development involving Ohaegbu adds another legal dimension to the dispute.
According to the subject of the supplied YouTube report, Ohaegbu is seeking ₦700 million from Okonkwo and has also petitioned the NBA.
The reported dispute comes amid wider disagreements within the NDC over its leadership and recent primaries.
In a related development, Ohaegbu has kicked against the notion that Senator Seriake Dickson, a former Bayelsa governor, is the NDC’s national leader.
Dickson previously said he and Obi had resolved issues that emerged within the party following its primaries.
The latest report also highlights a position attributed to Ohaegbu that Obi should serve as the NDC’s national leader rather than Dickson.
That position, if confirmed, could further fuel the ongoing debate over the party’s leadership structure ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The ₦700 million claim and NBA petition should, however, be treated as reported developments pending access to the court documents and the petition itself.
Read the background information on Ohaegbu’s earlier denial of Okonkwo’s claims as reported by This Dawn below:
