By Henry Umoru

ABUJA — Crisis has erupted within the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, following allegations of hijack and manipulation of the party’s recently concluded primaries in Imo State ahead of the 2027 elections.

A former member of the House of Representatives, Uche Nwole, accused influential figures within the party of undermining internal democracy and compromising the primary election process.

Nwole, who represented Mbaitoli/Ikeduru Federal Constituency between 1999 and 2003, said he was compelled to return to active politics due to concerns over Nigeria’s democratic trajectory and the need to protect internal party democracy.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, he described himself as a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and said he joined the NDC because of its vision and leadership, expressing confidence in its presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

He, however, alleged that the party’s internal process in Imo State had been compromised by powerful interests seeking to impose candidates and control party structures.

According to him, a panel sent by the party headquarters to supervise the primaries, led by Chief Babatunde Are, was allegedly prevented from carrying out its assignment.

He claimed the panel was influenced by a prominent party stakeholder and failed to properly supervise the exercise, leading to irregularities in the conduct of the primaries.

Nwole further alleged that while aspirants mobilised for the exercise, the panel failed to appear at designated venues, forcing local government party officials to conduct and collate results which were later submitted through official channels.

He also alleged that the results generated locally were rejected at the national level in favour of what he described as “parallel results.”

The former lawmaker questioned what he called the growing influence of a single individual over the party’s affairs in Imo State, warning that it could damage the party’s credibility and electoral prospects.

“We cannot allow democracy to be hijacked by any individual. Political parties must remain institutions governed by rules and collective decisions, not personal interests,” he said.

Nwole disclosed that he and other aspirants had petitioned the party’s national leadership, calling for a review of the primaries and clarification on the legitimacy of the results.

He urged the leadership to investigate the conduct of the exercise, ensure due process was followed and address grievances among aspirants.

He warned that failure to resolve the crisis could undermine public confidence in the party’s commitment to internal democracy.

The former lawmaker maintained that his intervention was aimed at strengthening the party and preserving its political relevance ahead of the 2027 elections.

He called for fairness, transparency and justice, insisting that only credible internal processes could sustain confidence among members and the electorate.

In the petition excerpts, Nwole and other stakeholders alleged that there was no properly supervised primary election in Imo State, claiming that the panel from the national headquarters failed to conduct the exercise as expected.

He further alleged that the process was taken over by local party executives in the absence of the supervisory panel, leading to disputed results and parallel submissions to the national secretariat.

The petition also called for the party leadership to verify claims of structural control within the state chapter and ensure that candidates emerge through a transparent process.

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