Potential Crisis Erupts in the Nigeria Democratic Congress
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) is facing a potential crisis following the contentious submission of candidate lists for gubernatorial, national, and state assembly primaries in Abia State directly to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). This move, executed by Asukewe Ikoawaji, the Secretary of the Primary Electoral Commission, has ignited concerns among party officials and legal experts.
Insiders suggest that the direct submission of these lists could ignite intraparty conflict and raise questions about adherence to established nomination procedures. Legal observers are particularly wary, noting that proper protocol requires a more structured approach to candidate nominations and submissions.
Documents obtained from various sources indicate that Ikoawaji, who chairs the Abia State NDC primaries, dispatched a letter to the INEC chairman via the Abia State Resident Electoral Commissioner on May 30, 2026. This correspondence reportedly includes the results of the primaries conducted on May 29, 2026.
In the letter titled “Results of NDC Primaries in Abia State,” Ikoawaji stated that results for all local government areas were finalized at the party’s state headquarters in Umuahia. The verification process, he noted, was supervised by INEC officials and included security personnel and party representatives.
Ikoawaji’s letter specified, “I hereby forward the election results of the NDC primaries held in all local government areas and constituencies in Abia State on May 29, 2026, along with the final collated results at our party headquarters.” He further informed the Electoral Commission that these results had been relayed to the party’s national headquarters in Abuja, accompanied by key documentation, including election guidelines and results. He urged INEC to take appropriate measures regarding the submissions.
In a separate letter to the Abia State REC, Ikoawaji requested corrections to what he termed inaccuracies in the previous member list for the Governor, National Assembly, and State House of Assembly Electoral Committees submitted to INEC. He identified himself as the sole electoral officer overseeing the primary elections conducted across the state’s 17 local governments, asserting that his revised submission should supersede all prior communications to INEC.
This situation has stirred controversy within the party, as critics argue that the authority to formally submit candidate names ultimately lies with the national leadership, particularly the national president and secretary. This divergence in procedure could not only lead to legal ramifications but also exacerbate existing schisms within the NDC as the election season approaches.
Political analysts believe this incident could test the party’s internal conflict resolution mechanisms and potentially attract regulatory scrutiny if questions arise about the legitimacy of the nomination process. As of now, there has been no official statement from the NDC’s national leadership or INEC regarding this development. Attempts to gather insights from the involved parties have not yielded any responses.
