THE ₦8 BILLION FEUD: Court Directs Peter Obi to Serve Kenneth Okonkwo via Substituted Means After Evading Service

The high-stakes legal warfare between the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Peter Gregory Obi, and his former campaign spokesperson, Mr. Kenneth Okonkwo, has taken a dramatic turn in court. An Anambra State High Court sitting in the Onitsha Judicial Division has officially cleared the hurdle for the ₦8 billion defamation suit to proceed by granting Obi permission to serve the court processes on Okonkwo via substituted means.

The decisive legal breakthrough is contained in an official court order, identified as image_0a9e63.jpg, issued on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, by Hon. Justice D.A. Onyefulu. The ruling follows repetitive, unsuccessful attempts by court bailiffs to physically locate and personally serve the actor-turned-politician with the multi-billion Naira writ of summons.

The Terms of the Substituted Service

According to the certified true copy of the ex-parte motion under Suit No. O/229/2026, argued by the plaintiff’s counsel, Chisom Ibemesi Esq., the court has authorized the legal team to bypass personal contact

The judicial directive explicitly mandates that the legal paperwork be executed through the following channels:

• Physical Pasting: By pasting the writ of summons and accompanying judicial processes directly at the defendant’s residential address located at NPR 48 Ofuluonu, Nsukka, Enugu State (near Ijeoma Fishing Company).
• Adult Delivery: Alternatively, by handing the copies over to any responsible adult found residing at the specified Nsukka residence.

The formal endorsement stamp from the High Court Registry in Onitsha, dated July 1, 2026, officially brings the evasion window to a close, marking the point from which the defense’s timeline to respond begins to count.

Anatomy of the ₦8 Billion Fallout

The legal battle stems from a bitter public falling-out between the two former close political allies who worked closely during the 2023 presidential campaign cycle. The tipping point occurred during a live television appearance by Okonkwo on June 8, 2026, where he dropped severe corruption allegations against the former Anambra State governor.

Okonkwo, who has since pitched his tent with the African Democratic Congress (ADC), alleged on air that Peter Obi and senior NDC regional leaders systematically extorted House of Representatives aspirants, demanding a ₦10 million bribe each for automatic tickets. He further alleged that Obi personally manipulated the selection of candidates directly from a hotel room.

In his statement of claim, Obi firmly dismantled the allegations as “false, baseless, malicious, and completely unsupported by fact”. The ₦8 billion financial claim filed by Obi’s lead counsel, Alex Ejesieme (SAN), breaks down into specific punitive categories:

Denials and Legal Defiance

The case has been further complicated by the public intervention of one of the very aspirants Okonkwo claimed to be fighting for. Obunike Ohaegbu, a prominent House of Representatives aspirant, has publicly countered Okonkwo’s narrative, stating categorically that Obi never demanded nor received ₦10 million from him, describing himself and Obi as joint victims of fabricated claims.

Despite the internal contradictions, Okonkwo has maintained an aggressive posture online. Responding to the initial pre-action notices through his legal counsel, V.I. Uma, the ADC chieftain dared Obi to approach the court, dismissing the litigation as a desperate attempt at “extortion” and transactional politics. Okonkwo went on to boast that a full-scale public trial would provide him the perfect platform to expose inside secrets he gathered while managing Obi’s media image during the 2023 elections.

With the substituted service order granted in image_0a9e63.jpg, Okonkwo’s strategy of ignoring personal service has lost its legal weight. The case is now set for a full, public judicial showdown in Anambra, where the boundary between political whistleblowing and actionable defamation will be tested. (247Ureports)