KEY POINTS

• Former Imo governor Achike Udenwa has threatened to sue Kenneth Okonkwo over allegations that NDC aspirants were extorted.
• Udenwa demanded a public apology, retraction, and N5 billion in damages within seven days.
• The controversy stems from comments made by Okonkwo during a Channels Television interview.

Former Imo State Governor, Achike Udenwa, has threatened to drag former Labour Party spokesperson and African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, Kenneth Okonkwo, to court over comments linking him to the alleged extortion of aspirants seeking tickets under the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

Udenwa, who governed Imo State from 1999 to 2007 and later served as a minister under the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, described the allegations as false, malicious and damaging to his reputation.

In a pre-action notice dated June 11, 2026, Udenwa’s lawyer, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Soronnadi Njoku, demanded that Okonkwo publish a strongly-worded apology in five national newspapers and also make the retraction during prime-time programming on Channels Television.

The former governor further demanded the payment of N5 billion as compensation for what he described as injuries caused by the alleged defamatory remarks.

According to the letter, Okonkwo has seven days to comply with the demands or face legal action at the appropriate High Court in Imo State.

How The Controversy Began

The dispute arose from comments made by Okonkwo during a June 8 appearance on Channels Television.

During the interview, the ADC chieftain alleged that Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the NDC, and leaders of the party’s South-East caucus demanded money from aspirants seeking tickets for the Senate and House of Representatives.

Okonkwo specifically accused Obi, Udenwa and other NDC leaders of extorting aspirants and cited a message allegedly sent by Obunike Ohaegbu, an NDC House of Representatives hopeful from Anambra State, claiming he had been defrauded by the party’s South-East leadership.

However, a day after the interview, Ohaegbu appeared on the same television station and denied that Peter Obi or any South-East leaders collected bribes from him.

He clarified that the N10 million payment he made was transferred into the official NDC bank account following directives from the party’s national secretary and insisted that no individual collected money from him personally.

Following the controversy, Peter Obi also threatened legal action against Okonkwo over the allegations.