N5bn lawsuit: Court grants Peter Obi leave to serve Kenneth Okonkwo

An Anambra State High Court sitting in Onitsha has officially granted Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, presidential candidate, Peter Obi, permission to serve court documents on Kenneth Okonkwo through substituted means after attempts at personal service were unsuccessful.

The court ordered that the documents be pasted at Okonkwo’s last known address in Nsukka, Enugu State, or handed to any adult found at the residence.

The suit is expected to proceed once the substituted service is completed.

Recall that the legal action followed allegations made by Okonkwo that Obi and some NDC leaders in the South-East demanded additional payments from aspirants seeking the party’s tickets for National Assembly positions.

Okonkwo claimed that documentary evidence, including receipts, existed to support his allegations.

He also alleged that Obi personally compiled candidate lists from a hotel room in Abuja and made other claims bordering on dishonesty and criminal conduct.

Following the allegations, Obi’s legal team issued a pre-action letter demanding a retraction, a public apology on Channels Television and social media platforms, N5 billion in damages, and an undertaking that Okonkwo would refrain from making similar statements in the future.