A House of Representatives aspirant of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Obunike Calistus Ohaegbu, has sued former party chieftain Kenneth Okonkwo for ₦700 million over allegations he said were false and damaging to his reputation.
Ohaegbu, a lawyer, disclosed this in an interview with Symfoni TV, saying he also petitioned the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) over Okonkwo’s conduct.
The dispute followed comments made by Okonkwo in June, where he alleged that NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi and other party leaders demanded ₦10 million from House of Representatives aspirants in connection with the party’s nomination process.
Okonkwo had linked Ohaegbu to the allegation, claiming that the aspirant was his client and had provided information about the alleged payment.
Ohaegbu, however, denied telling Okonkwo that Obi demanded or collected ₦10 million from him.
According to Ohaegbu, the money he paid was transferred to the NDC’s official account and was connected to the party’s nomination process.
Explaining his decision to petition the NBA, Ohaegbu said Okonkwo had publicly described him as his client while discussing the matter.
He argued that if such a lawyer-client relationship existed as claimed by Okonkwo, the conduct should be examined under the professional ethics governing legal practitioners.
“I wrote a petition to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee to look at what Kenneth Okonkwo claimed and see what happened,” Ohaegbu said.
Ohaegbu said he is seeking ₦700 million in damages over the allegations, which he said could damage the reputation he had built over the years.
“I am not a content creator. I am a lawyer and a teacher,” he said, explaining that he chose to pursue the matter through the appropriate legal and professional channels rather than engage in media exchanges.
He said he expects the court and the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee to examine the claims and determine what transpired.
