By Peace Udugba
Former Governor of Imo State, Achike Udenwa, has threatened legal action against former Nollywood actor and lawyer, Kenneth Okonkwo, over alleged defamatory remarks made during a live television interview.
The threat was contained in a pre-litigation letter dated June 11, 2026, and signed by Chief Soronnadi A. Njoku (SAN), Principal Counsel at Nnodim Njoku Chambers. In the letter, Udenwa demanded a full retraction of the statements, a public apology, and N5 billion in damages.
The dispute stems from comments allegedly made by Okonkwo during an appearance on the Channels Television programme Sunrise Daily on June 8, 2026. During the interview, Okonkwo reportedly claimed that Oyema Ugochukwu, Udenwa, Peter Obi and other leaders of the South-East caucus were “busy extorting” South-East presidential aspirants.
According to Udenwa’s legal team, the remarks were subsequently circulated by various local and international media outlets and online platforms, causing significant damage to the former governor’s reputation by portraying him as someone who exploits public office for personal financial gain.
The letter stressed that Udenwa served two terms as governor of Imo State and later held office as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria without ever facing allegations of corruption or embezzlement.
His counsel has therefore given Okonkwo a seven-day ultimatum to issue a strongly worded apology, retract the alleged defamatory statement, and provide a written undertaking not to make similar remarks in the future.
The legal team further demanded that the apology be published in five national newspapers and broadcast during prime-time programming on Channels Television. In addition, Okonkwo is being asked to pay N5 billion as compensation for the alleged injury caused by the publication.
The notice warned that failure to comply with the demands within the stipulated period would result in legal proceedings being instituted against Okonkwo at the appropriate High Court in Imo State, seeking the full N5 billion in damages as well as injunctive reliefs to restrain further publication of the claims.
