A fresh round of exchanges has emerged in the dispute involving **Peter Obi** and **Kenneth Okonkwo**, after Okonkwo released alleged WhatsApp messages and comments he says support his earlier claims about irregularities in the NDC nomination process.
The development follows Obi’s legal threat of a N5 billion defamation suit over statements made by Okonkwo during a televised interview.
In a post on his official handle, Okonkwo reacted to a recent interview granted by NDC House of Representatives aspirant Obunike Ohaegbu, who denied telling him that Obi demanded payment for nomination.
Okonkwo dismissed the denial, saying he had more information than what had been made public. He also stated that he deliberately withheld further details to avoid worsening Obi’s public image.
“I have been laughing since then,” he wrote in response to the denial.
He further claimed that during their discussions, Ohaegbu made serious allegations about the internal conduct of the party and the role of Obi in the nomination process. According to Okonkwo, Ohaegbu described Obi as central to the alleged wrongdoing.
Okonkwo quoted what he says was part of their exchange, where he asked: “Are you telling me that Peter Obi is the head of this criminal gang?”
He alleged that Ohaegbu responded by describing Obi as “the head, stomach, and feet of the criminal gang,” a statement Okonkwo says was made in the context of discussing the party’s candidate selection process.
Okonkwo also claimed that Ohaegbu accused the party of compiling candidate lists outside established procedures, including at a hotel in Abuja, and raised concerns about the inclusion of individuals who did not emerge from primaries.
In excerpts shared by Okonkwo, Ohaegbu reportedly wrote: “If that is not fraud, then the word fraud must have another meaning.”
He also referenced concerns about lack of consultation with aspirants in some states and questioned how candidate lists were produced without consensus meetings.
According to the messages released, Ohaegbu also raised issues about delayed publication of primary results and alleged inconsistencies in the party’s internal process.
The authenticity of the WhatsApp messages has not been independently verified, and none of the claims has been tested in court.
Neither Obi nor his representatives have responded publicly to the latest materials released by Okonkwo at the time of filing this report.
The dispute continues alongside Obi’s earlier demand for a public retraction, apology, and damages over the initial allegations.
