Enugu North Bye-Election: Aggrieved NDC Aspirants Reject Primaries, Threaten Boycott of Campaigns
A group of aggrieved aspirants of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) from Enugu North Senatorial District has rejected the party’s primary election process conducted on May 26 and 29, 2026, alleging widespread irregularities, candidate imposition and violation of the party’s constitution and electoral laws.
The aspirants, in a press statement issued on Thursday and signed by Dr Vincent Ege Obetta and Barr Okey Gideon Agbo as legal advisers, described the exercise that produced candidates for various elective positions in Enugu State as unlawful, insisting that no valid direct primary election was held across the electoral wards.
They maintained that neither a lawful consensus arrangement nor any transparent democratic process involving aspirants, stakeholders and party members took place as stipulated by the party’s constitution, guidelines and relevant electoral provisions.
According to them, what transpired was “not a primary election but the imposition of candidates through a process that excluded aspirants, stakeholders and party members from meaningful participation.”
The aggrieved aspirants further alleged that candidate lists were compiled and submitted through the influence of the Enugu State caucus leadership headed by former governor, Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo, for the benefit of predetermined individuals.
They claimed that several duly screened aspirants who had committed substantial resources, time and effort to the party’s activities were sidelined during the process.
The statement read in part: “We hereby reject in its entirety the purported primary election of 26th and 29th May, 2026, through which candidates were produced for Enugu North and other positions in Enugu State.
“We state unequivocally that no valid direct primary election was conducted in any electoral ward and no lawful consensus process involving concerned aspirants took place as required by the Constitution of the Party, the Party Guidelines, and the Electoral Act.”
The group consequently declared that it would neither recognise nor endorse any candidate that emerged from the disputed exercise, warning that it would abstain from participating in any campaign or political activity linked to the purported primaries until the party’s national leadership intervenes.
They called on the NDC leadership to immediately set aside the candidate lists generated from the exercise and organise what they described as a transparent, credible and verifiable democratic process in Enugu State.
According to the aspirants, the future of the party in the state cannot be built on what they termed imposition, exclusion and the suppression of internal democracy.
“The party must choose between the will of its members and the will of a few privileged individuals acting outside recognised party structures,” the statement added.
They argued that the NDC’s presidential candidate’s advocacy for free, fair and transparent elections should begin with credible internal party primaries, stressing that democracy within political parties remains the foundation of a credible electoral system.
The aspirants further accused some party leaders in the South-East of undermining the democratic ideals upon which the NDC was founded, warning that the party risks weakening its grassroots support if urgent corrective measures are not taken.
Describing their action as a principled stand against injustice, the group said it was protesting what it called the systematic destruction of internal democracy within the party.
“We refuse to lend legitimacy to a process that openly disregards the rights and aspirations of party members at the grassroots and the majority of the aspirants in the zone,” they stated.
The aggrieved aspirants appealed to key national figures of the party, including Senator Seriake Dickson, the party’s presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, National Chairman Chief Cleopas Moses Zuwoghe, members of the National Working Committee and other stakeholders to urgently intervene and restore confidence in the party.
They warned that unless a transparent and credible process is conducted, the national leadership should not expect meaningful mobilisation, enthusiasm or effective political campaigning ahead of the Enugu North Senatorial Bye-Election scheduled for June 20, 2026, as well as the 2027 general elections.
“Party loyalists cannot be expected to campaign for candidates they neither elected nor recognise,” the statement noted.
The aspirants therefore demanded a thorough investigation into the origin of the disputed candidate list, urging the party’s national leadership to void the outcome if found to have violated the party’s constitution and applicable laws.
They also called for a fresh and transparent voting process that would allow party members to freely determine who flies the party’s flag in future elections.
EDITOR
Sam Udekwe is a journalist working in the News and Current Affairs department, Enugu State Broadcasting Service (ESBS) Enugu. He is well trained in all genres of journalistic venture.
Mr Sam read Mass Communication, graduating all with Distinction in National Diploma, Higher National Diploma and Postgraduate Diploma at IMT, Enugu and Madonna University, Okija, Anambra state, as well as M.Sc Mass Communication at National Open University of Nigeria.
He is the immediate past NUJ Chairman, Enugu state.
samowailo@gmail.com
