By Ori Martins
There appears to be no end in sight to Barrister Kenneth Okonkwo’s legal entanglements. The renowned actor-turned-politician has, once again, been dragged to court by former Imo State Governor, Chief Achike Udenwa.
Udenwa has filed a N5 billion lawsuit against Okonkwo over alleged defamation. The former governor said his action was in response to Okonkwo’s appearance on a national television programme on June 8, 2026, during which the former spokesperson for the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate allegedly made unsubstantiated allegations against leaders of the South-East caucus of the NDC.
According to Udenwa, Okonkwo falsely accused him and other NDC leaders of extorting aspirants, particularly House of Representatives hopefuls, of millions of naira during the party’s last primary election.
During the interview, Okonkwo allegedly claimed that Udenwa, alongside Peter Obi and Onyema Ugochukwu, extorted millions of naira from aspirants.
In the suit filed through his lawyer, Chief Soronnadi Njoku (SAN), Udenwa is demanding a complete retraction of the allegations, a public apology, and N5 billion in damages. The former governor also gave Okonkwo a seven-day ultimatum to publish the retraction in national newspapers and air a commercial apology on Channels Television.
Just last week, Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate who now doubles as the NDC presidential candidate for the 2027 election, also dragged Okonkwo to court over the same allegations. Obi is similarly demanding a public apology to be prominently published in national newspapers across the country, an apology to be aired on the television station where the allegations were made, and N5 billion in damages.
Responding to Obi’s lawsuit, Okonkwo adopted an even more confrontational stance, boasting that he would expose to the public all the unhealthy deals and discussions he allegedly had with the former Anambra State governor while serving as his presidential spokesperson.
Since these accusations and counter-accusations began dominating public discourse, Nigerians across regions and political divides have remained sharply divided on the matter. Some agree with Okonkwo that the manner in which the NDC conducted its recently concluded primary elections left much to be desired.
They maintain that there were several questionable dealings that cast doubts on the NDC’s avowed readiness to lead the country towards freedom, prosperity, and greatness. This group also questions the integrity, character, and capacity of the party’s leadership, arguing that the events surrounding the last primary election have raised serious concerns about the quality of leadership within the party.