The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, House of Representatives aspirant for Nnewi North, Nnewi South and Ekwusigo Federal Constituency, Obunike Ohaegbu, aka Nwa Miss, has denied claims that connect him to assertions regarding Peter Obi defrauding aspirants during the party’s primary elections.

Nollywood actor and politician, Kenneth Okonkwo, had during an interview on Channels Television accused the presidential candidate of the NDC and other party leaders in the South-East of having accepted bribes during the recent primary elections.

Okonkwo, who is a prominent member of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, asserted that Ohaegbu sent him an “SOS message” revealing the purported fraud that surrounded the primaries’ results.

Okonkwo stated that anyone voting for Peter Obi and the NDC in 2027 is “voting for criminality”, saying, “Ohaegbu sent an SOS to me and said that Peter Obi is now the head of the criminality. That they were scammed in NDC.”

Reacting to Okonkwo’s claims on Channels Television, Ohaegbu said he never told Okonkwo that he met Peter Obi all through the primary election process and never had any monetary discussion with the former governor of Anambra State.

“First of all, was there any communication between me and Mr Kenneth Okonkwo? The answer is in the affirmative.

“I have over 2000 people that I send everything I write, including Kenneth Okonkwo, and also including His Excellency, Peter Obi.

“The message that triggered this was I sent a broadcast to NDC members, which Peter Obi also received. I said that they should disregard any rumor that suggests that any NDC members has been given automatic ticket, because that is not what the party told us.

“And the member representing Peter Obi’s federal consistency was asked not to run, because it will not be fair if he runs. It will not be fair to other local governments, and that happened in so many other local governments, so it would be wrong to say that the person representing us, who has never been to my community and not even been to my home since the election, will have automatic ticket.

“And when especially it makes it worse when it’s being rumored that the senatorial candidate will come from his local government.

“So it was after the broadcast I sent, that he [Okonkwo] called me. Before I came here, I went for morning mass because I’m a Catholic. As I speak to you, the Holy Communion is still running in my vein. If I had ever said either through text or if Kenneth can show anywhere in that message, I said I met with Peter Obi throughout this process. I will apologise.”

He said it was the national secretary of the party he had discussions with concerning payment of nomination forms, and who, according to him, also promised him an automatic ticket.

“As a matter of fact, the national secretary told me that all my discussions with him, that he did that in his capacity as the national secretary and he told me if I have problems, I should go back to the party, which I have actually done this morning. My lawyers will be filing papers against the party.

“But what I’m addressing now is what Okonkwo said that Peter Obi told us to go and pay N10 million, that he needed the money for his campaign. The N10 million I paid was paid to the account of the NDC, in Fidelity Bank. I never said I paid bribe.

“So he said I told him that the party’s National Caucus told us to pay N10 million. I never said that, and it’s not in the message. And I will want this conversation to limit to what he said, what I said.

“I’m telling you, Peter Obi never told me to pay N10 million, I never told Kenneth Okonkwo that Peter Obi in any way told me to pay N10 million. The only person who asked me to pay N10 million is the national secretary,” the aspirant added.

He also denied saying that Peter Obi and others were writing results of the primary election at John Wood Hotel Abuja while the the election was going on.

Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State has directed all political office holders serving in his administration who have declared allegiance to, or defected to, other political parties, to immediately resign their appointments.

A public notice to this effect on Wednesday said the directive is intended to preserve government loyalty and the integrity of public service.

“Continued service by persons who have aligned with another party poses a clear risk of sabotage, information leakage, and obstruction of policy implementation and party strategy,” the governor said.

The governor asked affected appointees to submit their letters of resignation to the Office of the Secretary to the State Government within 48 hours.

The governor stated in the notice shared with journalists by his Chief Press Secretary, Humwashi Wonosikou, that failure to comply with the directive within the stipulated timeframe would result in immediate termination of appointment and cessation of all salaries and terminal benefits.

The lawmaker representing Ideato North/Ideato South Federal Constituency in Imo State, Ikeagwuonu Ugochinyere, has lost his bid to become the Minority Leader as the House barred first-term lawmakers from holding principal offices.

The House passed the resolution at plenary on Wednesday following the adoption of a motion sponsored by lawmaker representing Ikorodu Federal Constituency of Lagos, Babajimi Benson.

The resolution clarified Order 7, Rule 15 of the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives.

Order 7, Rule 15 of the Standing Orders of the green chamber states that only members with cognate legislative experience as members of the house of representatives shall be eligible for appointment as principal officers of the House.

Recall that some opposition lawmakers had last week nominated Ugochiyere for the Minority Leader position to succeed Kingsley Chinda, lawmaker representing Obio/Akpor federal Constituency, who vacated the role after emerging as the APC governorship candidate for Rivers state.

However, at plenary last Thursday, Philip Agbese, deputy spokesperson of the House and a member of the Labour Party, denied endorsing Ugochinyere to lead the Minority caucus.

Agbese alleged that his signature was forged on the document nominating Ugochinyere for the role, a claim the Action Peoples Party, APP, lawmaker dismissed as an outrageous lie.

Ugochinyere would later release a video to back his claim that Agbese signed the document endorsing him for the position of Minority Leader.