By Ejike Ikezuagu – UK.
Nigeria’s political space is no stranger to heated statements, but the recent controversy involving Kenneth Okonkwo, former spokesman to Mr Peter Obi, has taken a sharp legal turn.
On national television, the actor tuned politician Kenneth Okonkwo made strong, unprintable accusations against Peter Obi, claiming that certain individuals “told him “Damaging information”, but when confronted with the fact that those individuals have publicly denied ever telling him such things, Okonkwo responded:
“They will come and answer their case.” Nigerians are already responding to his statement.
Chris Egbula, a UK based lawyer said, “By implication, Kenneth Okonkwo is attempting to shift responsibility away from himself and onto unnamed individuals who have already denied involvement.”
The legal luminary queried, “Can a man escape accountability for his own words by blaming people who never authorised him to speak on their behalf?”. According to Barr Egbuna, he stated, “Legal reality remains that “The speaker bears the burden,”
In Nigerian law and in common sense, the person who makes a defamatory statement is responsible for it, not the rumour, not the people who told him, not the shadows behind the curtain, but the speaker, he stated.
When Kenneth Okonkwo went on television and made accusations against Peter Obi, he became the originator of those claims in the public domain. Even if someone whispered something to him privately, he chose to repeat it publicly. That act makes him fully accountable, the UK based lawyer stated.
He continued, Kenneth Okonkwo’s attempt to shift blame has three major implications. Firstly, he admitted he has no first‑hand evidence, by saying “they told me”, he confirmed, he is relying on hearsay which carries no legal weight.
He publicly broadcast the accusation. The individuals he referenced did not go on TV, he did, he amplified the claim, he owns the consequences, he cannot transfer liability.
In defamation law, liability follows the person who publishes the statement, not the alleged source, trying to drag others into the matter is legally weak and morally questionable, Egbuna said.
OgeneNews reporter interacting with Chief Chukwudi Okorie, a custodian of Igbo culture, he said, “Words carry weight”. Among Ndigbo, “Okwu bu ndu, words are life”. “A man’s word is tied to his honour, when an Igbo man speaks publicly, he stands by his statement.”
He said that Kenneth Okonkwo trying to shift responsibility to unnamed individuals is irrelevant, and doesn’t make sense.
Peter Obi’s decision to charge Kenneth Okonkwo to court is not only legally sound, but necessary to clarify the truth. If Okonkwo insists that others “told him, “Then, he must produce them, prove the conversation happened and justify why he repeated unverified claims publicly, if he cannot, then the burden rests squarely on him.”
This case is bigger than politics, it is about responsibility, truth, and the integrity of public speech.
In a nation struggling with misinformation, tribal tension, and political manipulation, Nigerians, especially Ndigbo deserve leaders who speak with clarity, honesty, and accountability.
Kenneth Okonkwo’s words were his own, the consequences are his own, and the law will follow the person who carried the microphone, and not the people he claimed whispered behind the scenes, Barr Egbuna concluded.
