Kenneth Okonkwo Peter Obi rent claim: the politician rejects allegations that he asked Peter Obi for rent and explains his financial independence
Kenneth Okonkwo, the Nollywood actor-turned-politician, on Thursday, August 13, 2026, rejected claims that he asked Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate Peter Obi for rent, insisting that he owned a home before entering active politics.
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Okonkwo addressed the allegation during an interview with Symfoni TV, responding to comments attributed to Peoples Democratic Party member Katch Ononuju about his financial relationship with Obi.
The former Labour Party spokesperson said his decision to enter politics was partly driven by a desire to remain financially independent and retain the freedom to express his views without being controlled by political patrons.
“Before I entered active politics and came to Peter Obi, I had built all the houses that I needed,” Okonkwo said.
He explained that owning property before becoming politically active allowed him to maintain his independence and make political decisions according to his convictions.
“I wanted to be an independent person with my own opinion,” he said.
Okonkwo strongly denied ever asking Obi, or anyone else, to pay his rent.
“So I have never asked for rent from Peter Obi or anybody since I was born,” he said.
The actor-turned-politician also described his political loyalty as being directed towards Nigeria and its citizens rather than an individual politician or political party.
“I made it clear from day one that my loyalty is to Nigeria, to Nigerian people and the Constitution, and my conscience and the commandment of God,” Okonkwo said.
He recalled that he had lived in his own property in Lagos for years before becoming deeply involved in politics.
“By 1994, I moved into my own duplex in Lagos and I lived there for 14 years,” he said.
Okonkwo’s comments come against the backdrop of his changing political relationship with Obi. He previously served as a prominent spokesman for Obi during the 2023 presidential campaign, when Obi contested under the Labour Party platform.
The relationship between the two men has since attracted renewed attention following Okonkwo’s decision to distance himself from Obi’s political camp.
In July, Okonkwo explained why he stopped speaking publicly on Obi’s behalf, saying his decision followed differences over political strategy and the direction of the movement.
Okonkwo has nevertheless continued to speak publicly about Nigerian politics and the responsibilities of political leaders.
His latest response is therefore less about denying a single financial allegation and more about reinforcing his longstanding claim that he entered politics without depending financially on political figures.
The rent allegation also touches on a broader question in Nigerian politics: the extent to which politicians and political supporters depend on financial relationships with influential figures.
Okonkwo’s position is that his personal financial independence allows him to maintain political autonomy.
His account, however, remains his own response to the allegation. The statement attributed to Ononuju was not independently established in the material reviewed, and no evidence was presented in the report showing that Okonkwo had actually requested rent from Obi.
For Okonkwo, the central point remains his insistence that his political decisions should be judged by his stated principles rather than assumptions about personal financial dependence.
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“I am not going to move away from this,” he said, referring to his declaration that his loyalty is to Nigeria, its people and the Constitution.
