A lawyer and member of the Legal Advocates for Ethics and Integrity, Maxwell Opara, has challenged anyone who allegedly paid money to support the presidential ambition of Peter Obi to provide evidence of the payment.
In a video shared by Channels TV, Opara was reacting to claims made by Kenneth Okonkwo that a member of the National Opposition Coalition (NDC) told him that aspirants were allegedly required to pay N10 million in support of Obi’s presidential bid.
According to Opara, anyone who claimed to have given Obi, the party leadership, or other officials money in exchange for a political ticket should come forward with proof. He said his group was ready to provide free legal services to help such a person recover the money if the allegation could be substantiated.
He maintained that serious allegations of bribery or corruption should be backed by credible evidence and not mere claims.
Opara also called on Okonkwo to withdraw the statement and apologize to Obi if he could not provide proof to support the allegation.
The lawyer further warned that failure to do so could lead to a petition before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee. He argued that legal professionals have a responsibility to ensure that criminal allegations are supported by evidence before making them public.
In his words, “I’m assuring the person who said that he gave Peter Obi 10 million naira, or the leader of the party, Seriake Dickson, or the national chairman, to come up with evidence, we’re going to offer you free legal services to recover your money.”
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