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The Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) Legal Advocates for Ethics & Integrity (LAGEI) has asked Kenneth Okonkwo, a lawyer, to retract the allegations made against the party’s 2027 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Convener of the group, Mr Maxwell Opara, who briefed newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja, also demanded a public apology from Okonkwo.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Okonkwo was alleged to have accused Obi of demanding for a N10 million bribe from each aspirant contesting for the House of Representatives from the South-East.
Okonkwo was also alleged to have claimed that there was documentary evidence of the payments, and that Obi personally compiled the party’s list of candidates from a hotel room.
Reacting, Opara challenged Okonkwo to produce the evidence or retract and apologise to Obi or the ex-actor would be dragged to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) for appropriate sanction.
He described the allegations by Okonkwo, a member of the African Democratic Party (ADC), as false.
“The NDC Lawyers Group is constitutionally saddled with the responsibility of safeguarding and restoring the integrity, credibility, and good name of our great party, the NDC, and its Presidential Candidate, Obi.
“Our attention has been drawn to repeated attacks by one Kenneth Okonkwo of another political party, who has chosen to level unfounded criminal allegations against our Presidential Candidate.
“Instead of selling the policies and vision of his own party and candidate to Nigerians, Okonkwo has made it his preoccupation to malign Obi.”
Opara said he condemned the pattern of attack in the strongest terms.
According to him, the allegations are baseless, malicious and designed to distract the Nigerian people from issue-based politics.
“We therefore demand as follows:
“Okonkwo should immediately retract all defamatory and criminal allegations against Obi and tender an unreserved public apology within 48 hours of this release.
“He must stop hiding under the cover of the Igbo ethnic nationality as a shield for reckless and baseless political attacks.
“The Igbo people and Nigerians generally deserve better than to be used as an excuse for political rascality.
“He should redirect his energy to his own political party by telling Nigerians what his candidate intends to do for the country, rather than fixate on Obi.”
The convener said the LAGEI, the legal wing of NDC, would not watch idly while the reputation of its presidential candidate was assaulted for cheap political gain.
“Failure to comply will leave us with no option but to activate all lawful and legal remedies available to protect the integrity of our party and candidate.
“Politics must be about ideas, not insults. Enough is enough,” he said.(NAN)
Edited by Sadiya Hamza
