Okonkwo Dismisses Obi’s Defamation Suit, Calls Him ‘Unfit’ for Presidency

Actor-turned-politician Kenneth Okonkwo has defended his public criticism of the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress NDC, Peter Obi, describing the defamation suit filed against him as frivolous while insisting that he has committed no offence.

Speaking on Thursday on Channels Television’s Programme Politics Today with Seun Okinbaloye, Okonkwo stated that his role in Obi’s 2023 presidential campaign concluded after the election and the completion of the post-election legal process, emphasising that his continued support had been voluntary.

“I worked for Peter Obi in 2023. That was a duty. That was a job, and I did it effectively. We concluded it. I even continued to do things pro bono for him. It was a volunteer job,” he said.

Okonkwo explained that after ending his role with Obi, he returned to his work as a public affairs analyst and publicly announced in July 2024 that he was no longer speaking on Obi’s behalf.

According to him, he concluded that Obi lacked the decisiveness required to lead Nigeria.

“I’ve seen in him certain qualities that would make him unfit to be the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.

The former Obi campaign spokesperson accused the ex-Anambra governor of betraying him by instituting a lawsuit instead of accepting criticism.

Contrasting Obi’s actions with those of the former Vice President, Okonkwo said Atiku remained receptive despite his previous criticisms.

He claimed Atiku recognised his commitment to national development and never resorted to legal action against him.

Addressing the allegations before the court, Okonkwo maintained that his comments did not amount to defamation, arguing that he merely disclosed information given to him by identifiable individuals and possessed documentary evidence to support his claims.

“There is no defamation at all. A lot of people have said worse things about him,” he said.

He further questioned why Obi chose to sue him while allegedly ignoring anonymous critics.

“You know what he said? ‘No, I don’t want to see them, they are faceless.’ So you intend to destroy people who have a face. You intend to destroy any Southeast person, a bright person arising from the South-East,” he alleged.

When asked whether his objective was to politically damage Obi, Okonkwo dismissed the suggestion and instead belittled the former presidential candidate’s political relevance.

“He is inconsequential in whatever he is doing in his life. May we proceed to talk about more important issues? I want to talk about contenders in 2027, I don’t want to talk about pretenders,” he said.

Ok Thursday, Okonkwo was appointed the Spokesman of Atiku Abubakar’s presidential candidacy amid his legal battle with Obi.