The High Court of Justice, Onitsha Judicial Division, Anambra State, has issued a writ of summons to former Labour Party spokesperson and lawyer, Kenneth Okonkwo, in connection with a defamation suit instituted by former Anambra State Governor and NDC presidential candidate, Mr Peter Gregory Obi.
The suit, marked O/229/2026, was filed before the High Court of Anambra State, Holden at Onitsha, with Peter Gregory Obi listed as the plaintiff and Kenneth Okonkwo as the defendant.
According to the court documents dated June 25, 2026, Kenneth Okonkwo has been directed to enter appearance within 42 days of being served with the writ. The court further warned that failure to respond within the stipulated period could result in the matter proceeding in his absence, with judgment potentially entered against him.
The writ, which was specially endorsed for service outside jurisdiction, indicated that Okonkwo, said to be of NPR Ofuluonu, Nsukka, Enugu State, is required to appear before the court in respect of statements Peter Obi described as false, malicious and defamatory.
Claims in the suit
In the court papers, Peter Obi alleged that the defamatory statements were made by Kenneth Okonkwo during a Channels Television Sunrise Daily interview on June 5, 2026, and were later republished on the station’s YouTube platform under the title: “Kenneth Okonkwo Criticises Peter Obi, Condemns NDC Primaries.”
The plaintiff further claimed that the statements were subsequently repeated and amplified through interviews, Facebook posts and other online publications, even after a letter from his solicitors dated June 9, 2026 was served on the defendant.
Peter Obi contended that the publications injured his reputation, character, public image, political standing and goodwill, and is therefore seeking substantial damages and other reliefs from the court.
Reliefs sought by Peter Obi
Among the reliefs sought in the suit are:
1. ₦5 billion as general damages for the injury caused to his reputation, character, integrity, public image, political standing and goodwill.
2. ₦2 billion as aggravated damages over what he described as the persistence and repetition of the defamatory statements.
3. ₦1 billion as exemplary damages for the continued publication and amplification of the statements after notice of complaint.
In addition to the monetary claims, Peter Obi is asking the court to order Kenneth Okonkwo to:
- Publish a full retraction and apology within seven days of judgment on Channels Television’s platforms, as well as on his social media accounts on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube.
- Publish the apology in three national daily newspapers with wide circulation in Nigeria.
- Remove all allegedly defamatory posts, videos, captions, comments and related publications from every social media platform under his control.
- Ensure that the apology and retraction remain visible and are not deleted, hidden, archived or restricted from public access.
- Be restrained by a perpetual injunction from further publishing or circulating the disputed statements, whether directly or through agents, associates or any person acting on his behalf.
- Pay 10 percent post-judgment interest per annum on any monetary award until the judgment sum is fully liquidated.
Service outside jurisdiction
The court document also showed that the writ is to be served outside Anambra State, specifically in Enugu State, where Kenneth Okonkwo is said to reside. This explains the court’s endorsement for service outside jurisdiction.
The case is expected to attract significant public and political attention, given the previous relationship between both men within the Labour Party and the weight of the allegations contained in the suit.
As of the time of filing this report, Kenneth Okonkwo had not publicly reacted to the court action.
