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Okechukwu Eke: A Legal Rockstar, Now on Legal 500’s GC Powerlist Nigeria 2026
By prince Benson Davies
Okechukwu Eke, General Counsel of Moniepoint, has been named to the GC Powerlist: Nigeria 2026 by Legal 500, marking his second appearance on the list. Eke was first recognised in the inaugural 2024 edition, and his latest inclusion underscores his continued excellence in the legal field.
The GC Powerlist: Nigeria spotlights the most influential and innovative in-house counsel driving significant change within Nigeria’s leading companies. Now in its third year, the 2026 edition continues to recognise legal professionals navigating complex regulatory environments, advancing technological transformation, and shaping the commercial direction of their organisations.
Every year, the Legal 500 invites law firm partners and in-house counsels to nominate in-house lawyers that have been instrumental in driving their organizations and businesses forward. In-house lawyers are especially recognized for changing or forming commercial opinions; developing outstanding technical solutions to complex issues; creating innovative structures to ensure that the in-house legal function is supporting and driving the business; and providing business working models that other in-house counsels can follow.
David Freeman, Global Business Development Manager at Legal 500, who spoke about the significance of the GC Powerlist in Nigeria and the evolving role of in‑house counsel as strategic leaders. He highlighted the growing influence of general counsel in shaping governance, regulatory engagement and business transformation, setting a purposeful tone for the evening.
Eke’s return to the 2026 list follows sustained achievement for Moniepoint’s legal function in the years since his first recognition. Since joining the company in 2022, he has led a strong legal team to drive proactive, commercially aligned legal support across the group’s banking, payments, credit and remittance businesses.
He has coordinated multi-jurisdictional due diligence, documentation review, and structured governance approvals across Nigeria, the United States and the United Kingdom, enabling deals that have accelerated the company’s expansion and product innovation. Under Eke’s direction, the legal team has also developed standardised agreements across Moniepoint’s product and service lines, contributing to its continued recognition as one of Africa’s fastest-growing companies.
“Being recognised on the GC Powerlist again is a reflection of the exceptional work of our entire legal team and the confidence Moniepoint places in us as strategic partners to the business. Our role has grown substantially from structuring complex cross-border transactions to embedding the legal function deeply into the company’s commercial and product operations. We continue to raise the standard for what in-house legal excellence looks like in Africa’s fintech sector”, said Okechukwu Eke, General Counsel, Moniepoint.
Notable legal professionals that made the cut include Tochukwu Okezie, Chief Legal Officer & Company Secretary, Interswitch Group; Erhi Obebeduo, General Counsel & Company Secretary, Guaranty Trust Bank; Abisola Oshin-Gbadamosi, General Counsel and Company Secretary, Afya Care; Adeola Olumeyan, General Counsel, Head of Compliance and Risk, Africa, Junior Achievement Africa; Felix Chidozie Obiamalu, General Counsel, Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit; Lanre Kuforiji, Legal Director, Inq. Nigeria; Sesan Sobowale, Head, Legal Services, Union Bank of Nigeria; and Yemisi Diya-Salawu, Director, Legal, IHS Towers.
Legal 500 has been analysing the capabilities of law firms and in-house lawyers across the world for over three decades, with a comprehensive research programme that assesses legal strength in over 150 jurisdictions. Research is based on feedback from 300,000 clients worldwide, submissions from law firms, and interviews with leading private practice lawyers. Since the launch of the Powerlist in 2013, more than 3,000 individuals, 2,000 teams and 100 law firms have been recognised across 38 regions and countries worldwide.
