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An Anambra State High Court sitting in Onitsha has granted the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi permission to serve court documents on former ally and actor-turned-politician Kenneth Okonkwo through substituted means in an ongoing defamation suit.
The court’s decision followed unsuccessful attempts to personally serve the legal processes on Okonkwo. The judge consequently ordered that the court documents be pasted at the defendant’s last known address in Nsukka, Enugu State, or delivered to any responsible adult found at the residence. Once the order is carried out, the service will be deemed legally valid, allowing the case to proceed to substantive hearing.
The lawsuit stems from comments allegedly made by Okonkwo during a television interview in which he accused Obi and some leaders of the NDC in the South-East of demanding additional payments from aspirants seeking the party’s National Assembly tickets. Okonkwo also claimed there was documentary evidence, including receipts, to support the allegations and further alleged that Obi personally influenced the compilation of the party’s candidates’ list.
Obi has strongly denied the allegations, describing them as false, malicious and defamatory. Through his legal team led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Alex Ejesieme, he is seeking damages and several court orders, including a public retraction and apology from Okonkwo, the deletion of the disputed publications, and an injunction restraining him from making similar allegations in the future.
The legal dispute marks a dramatic escalation in the deteriorating relationship between the two former political allies, who worked closely during previous election campaigns but have since parted ways over political differences. What began as a public exchange of accusations has now moved fully into the courtroom, where the issues will be determined based on evidence presented by both parties.
With the order for substituted service now granted, the case is expected to advance once the court documents have been served in accordance with the court’s directive, paving the way for formal hearing of one of Nigeria’s most closely watched political defamation cases.
