ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Former Imo State Governor, Achike Udenwa, has demanded N5 billion in damages from lawyer and politician, Kenneth Okonkwo, over alleged defamatory remarks made during a recent television programme.
Udenwa conveyed the demand in a three-page letter dated June 11, 2026, and referenced CSAN/GC/26/25. The letter was addressed to Okonkwo and signed by his counsel, Chief Soronnadi A. Njoku, SAN.
According to the former governor, the comments made by Okonkwo during a live television broadcast falsely portrayed him as someone who unlawfully extorted money from political aspirants through coercion and violence.
The letter stated that the remarks, which were broadcast nationally and internationally and later amplified by several media organisations and online platforms, caused significant damage to Udenwa’s reputation.
“Most regrettably, your defamatory statement against him, accusing him of illegally securing money from aspirants by compulsion and violence, or wrongly and illegally obtaining money from those aspirants by compulsion or violence, which statement you made during a live television programme broadcast, both nationally and internationally and which statement was subsequently published by numerous media houses and several online platforms, has greatly injured our client in his credit and reputation and portrayed him as a common criminal, who abuses his position for personal monetary gains,” the letter read.
As part of the demands, Udenwa asked Okonkwo to publish a strongly worded apology in five national newspapers and also air the apology during prime-time programming on Channels Television.
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The former governor further requested that Okonkwo publicly retract the alleged defamatory statements and undertake never to make similar allegations against him again.
“In the circumstance, we do hereby, on his instructions, give you seven days from the date of this letter to write a strongly worded letter of apology to him, published in five national dailies, as well as aired, prime time, in Channels Television, wherein you clearly, in unmistakable terms, retract your said publication against him, and giving an undertaking never to defame him ever again,” the letter stated.
Udenwa is also seeking N5 billion in compensation, which he said would serve as redress for the reputational damage allegedly caused by the publication.
“We also demand the payment of the sum of N5 billion as compensation to him to assuage the injuries your said false publication has occasioned to him,” the letter added.
The former governor warned that failure to meet the demands within seven days would leave him with no option but to initiate legal action.
“Take notice that if the above demands are not strictly met within the stipulated time frame, we have his instructions to commence legal proceedings against you in the appropriate High Court in Imo State, to claim the said sum of N5 billion as damages against you, as well as the appropriate injunctive reliefs against you,” the letter concluded.