Arise News anchor Rufai Oseni has criticized the decision by the legal team of Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, to institute a defamation lawsuit against party chieftain Kenneth Okonkwo.
The legal action followed allegations made by Okonkwo during a television interview in which he claimed that Obi and some NDC leaders in the South-East collected bribes from aspirants seeking senatorial and House of Representatives tickets during the party’s primary elections.
Obi’s camp strongly denied the allegations and subsequently filed a defamation suit, while also giving Okonkwo a seven-day ultimatum to retract the claims.
Reacting during Arise Television’s morning programme, Rufai Oseni argued that Obi should reconsider pursuing the case in court.
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Describing Okonkwo as a “political surrogate,” Oseni suggested that the lawsuit had inadvertently amplified the allegations rather than diminishing them.
“If I’m to advise Mr Peter Obi, I would ask him to remove that case from the court,” Oseni said.
“He doesn’t need it. I can bet you that a lot of people did not even hear when Kenneth Okonkwo said it. It became news when Peter Obi sued him.”
The broadcaster maintained that public figures should be selective about the issues they respond to, noting that not every allegation deserves a legal or public reaction.
“You just gave media traction to this guy. Allow him to talk as he wants; the best you can do is to refute it. It is not everything you react to,” he added.
The dispute is the latest development in the growing political tensions within the NDC following its primary elections and the emergence of candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.
