I Never Told Kenneth Okonkwo That Peter Obi Asked Me To Pay ₦10 Million – Ohaegbu

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) House of Representatives aspirant for Nnewi North, Nnewi South, and Ekwusigo Federal Constituency, Obunike Ohaegbu, aka Nwa Miss, has dismissed fraud allegations levelled against the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

Naija News reports that Obi had sued Okonkwo following allegations that he (Obi) and other party leaders in the South-East had accepted bribes during the recent primary elections.

Okonkwo, a prominent member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), asserted that Ohaegbu sent him an “SOS message” revealing the purported fraud surrounding the primaries’ results.

Reacting to Okonkwo’s claims on Channels Television, Ohaegbu said he never told Okonkwo that he met Obi all through the primary election process and never had any monetary discussion with the former governor of Anambra State.

He said, “First of all, was there any communication between me and Mr Kenneth Okonkwo? The answer is in the affirmative.

“I have over 2000 people that I send everything I write, including Kenneth Okonkwo, and also including His Excellency, Peter Obi.

“The message that triggered this was I sent a broadcast to NDC members, which Peter Obi also received. I said that they should disregard any rumor that suggests that any NDC members has been given automatic ticket, because that is not what the party told us.

“And the member representing Peter Obi’s federal consistency was asked not to run, because it will not be fair if he runs. It will not be fair to other local governments, and that happened in so many other local governments, so it would be wrong to say that the person representing us, who has never been to my community and not even been to my home since the election, will have automatic ticket.

“And when especially it makes it worse when it’s being rumored that the senatorial candidate will come from his local government.

“So it was after the broadcast I sent, that he [Okonkwo] called me. Before I came here, I went for morning mass because I’m a Catholic. As I speak to you, the Holy Communion is still running in my vein. If I had ever said either through text or if Kenneth can show anywhere in that message, I said I met with Peter Obi throughout this process. I will apologise.”

He said it was the national secretary of the party he had discussions with concerning payment of nomination forms, and who, according to him, also promised him an automatic ticket.

“As a matter of fact, the national secretary told me that all my discussions with him, that he did that in his capacity as the national secretary and he told me if I have problems, I should go back to the party, which I have actually done this morning. My lawyers will be filing papers against the party.

“But what I’m addressing now is what Okonkwo said that Peter Obi told us to go and pay ₦10 million, that he needed the money for his campaign. The ₦10 million I paid was paid to the account of the NDC, in Fidelity Bank. I never said I paid bribe.

“So he said I told him that the party’s National Caucus told us to pay ₦10 million. I never said that, and it’s not in the message. And I will want this conversation to limit to what he said, what I said.

“I’m telling you, Peter Obi never told me to pay ₦10 million, I never told Kenneth Okonkwo that Peter Obi in any way told me to pay ₦10 million. The only person who asked me to pay ₦10 million is the national secretary,” the aspirant added.

He also denied saying that Peter Obi and others were writing results of the primary election at John Wood Hotel, Abuja, while the election was going on.