A fresh internal crisis is brewing within the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) following the alleged unilateral submission of candidate lists from its Abia State primary elections directly to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by the chairman of the party’s primary election committee.
Documents obtained by journalists indicate that Chief Asukewe Ikoawaji transmitted the outcome of the party’s governorship, National Assembly, and State House of Assembly primaries to INEC through the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Abia State on May 30, 2026.
In a letter titled “The Outcome of the NDC Primary Election in Abia State,” Ikoawaji stated that the primaries were conducted on May 29, 2026, across all local government areas of Abia State, with results collated at the party’s state headquarters in Umuahia.
He further noted that the collation process was observed by an INEC official, security operatives, members of the election committee, and party representatives. According to him, the final results were also forwarded to the party’s national headquarters in Abuja in line with internal party procedures.
“I hereby forward the election result of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) Primary Election held on 29/05/2026 in all the Local Government Areas and Constituencies in Abia State and the final collation result at the Party Headquarters, No. 2 Nsukka Street, Umuahia,” the letter stated.
In a separate correspondence, the committee chairman reportedly sought to correct what he described as errors in an earlier submission of electoral committee members to the commission. The letter also identified him as the sole returning officer for the primaries conducted across Abia’s 17 local government areas, noting that the revised submission superseded previous communications to INEC.
However, the development has sparked unease within the party, with stakeholders arguing that the authority to formally communicate and transmit nominated candidates to INEC resides with the party’s national leadership, particularly the national chairman and national secretary.
Party insiders warned that conflicting submissions between the committee chairman and the national leadership could trigger legal disputes and deepen internal divisions ahead of the next general election cycle.
Political observers say the controversy may test the NDC’s internal dispute-resolution mechanisms and could attract regulatory scrutiny if questions arise over the legitimacy of the nomination process.
As of press time, neither the NDC national leadership nor INEC had issued an official response to the development, while efforts to obtain comments from key stakeholders were unsuccessful.
