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Former Executive Governor of Imo State, Chief Achike Udenwa, has threatened to initiate legal proceedings against former Nollywood actor and legal practitioner, Kenneth Okonkwo, over alleged defamatory statements made during a live television interview.
The threat was made in a pre-litigation letter dated June 11, 2026, and signed by Chief Soronnadi A. Njoku, SAN, Principal Counsel of Nnodim Njoku Chambers.
In the letter, the former governor demanded a full retraction, a public apology, and N5 billion in damages.
The controversy can be traced back to the comments made by Kenneth Okonkwo during a live appearance on Channels Television’s breakfast program, Sunrise Daily, on June 8, 2026. During the broadcast, Okonkwo allegedly stated that Oyema Ugochukwu, Achike Udenwa, Peter Obi, and other leaders of the South East caucus were busy extorting the South East aspirants.
Udenwa’s legal team noted that these claims were widely circulated across national and international media houses and internet platforms, heavily damaging the former governor’s reputation by portraying him as a common criminal who abuses his position for personal monetary gains.
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The legal team emphasized that Chief Udenwa served two full terms as Governor of Imo State and later as an Honourable Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, maintaining a public service record completely free of corruption or embezzlement allegations.
Consequently, Chief Njoku has given Kenneth Okonkwo a seven-day ultimatum from the date of the letter to fulfill specific demands. Okonkwo is required to write a strongly worded letter of apology to Chief Udenwa, unmistakably retracting the publication and giving an undertaking never to defame him again. This apology must be published in five national daily newspapers and aired during prime time on Channels Television. Additionally, the legal team demanded the payment of N5 billion as compensation to assuage for the injuries the publication occasioned.
The legal notice warns that if these demands are not strictly met within the stipulated seven-day timeframe, Udenwa’s counsel has instructions to commence legal proceedings against Okonkwo in the appropriate High Court in Imo State. The impending lawsuit will seek the full N5 billion in damages alongside appropriate injunctive reliefs to restrain Okonkwo.
