Uche Nwole accuses NDC of manipulating elections in Imo

Former federal lawmaker Uche Nwole has accused some powerful people in the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) of taking over its structure and messing with the primary elections in Imo State. Nwole made these claims in a petition he submitted to the party’s national leaders in Abuja. He warned that this situation could hurt the NDC’s chances in the 2027 general elections.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja, Nwole said he joined the NDC because of its vision, manifesto, and leadership. He showed confidence in the party’s presidential candidate, Dr. Peter Obi, calling him a symbol of national renewal.

The main issue he raised was about how the primary elections were held in Imo State. Nwole claimed that officials sent from the party headquarters to oversee the elections were stopped from doing their jobs. He said, "There was never any primary election supervised by the officers sent by the party to exercise such a function. We cannot allow democracy to be hijacked by any individual. Political parties must remain institutions governed by rules and collective decisions, not personal interests. We are in pain and request justice for the sake of our great party in the 2027 elections. Otherwise, it will be a disaster for the party in the State."

Nwole also alleged that the results from the disputed elections were ignored by the national leadership. He said they favored what he called "parallel results." Affected aspirants have formally complained to the party leadership, asking for clarity on the authenticity of the primary results and the party structure in the state. "We urge the panel to disregard the purported and or forged results of the primaries paraded by the electoral panel as there was never a primary election by them. The party leaders are advised to evaluate the aspirants, consider financial capacity, experiences, and personal capacity to face the Imo APC government headed by the chairman of the Governor’s Forum," he added.

These claims come at a time when there is a lot of uncertainty about the results of the NDC’s primaries across the country. Many contestants have been complaining and asking for reviews. When reached for comments, the party leadership admitted that they are facing major challenges in the South-East, especially in Imo and Abia states. NDC Deputy National Spokesman Abdulmumin Abdulsalam confirmed that the party has received several complaints from the region and is taking time to check the validity of the results from affected states.

He said, "You can see that we have been taking our time in arriving at the results coming in from around the country. We have been collating all the results for the past four days now. We particularly have a challenge in the South-East. Other ones are actually okay. There is not much rancour, no infighting, factionalization or accusation of structural hijacking and all that. But what we have in the South-East is very unfortunate. We are inundated with a lot of crises from the region, especially in Imo and Abia states. In some cases, you will see factional chairmen and party structures flying around. In some states, two or three different primaries were conducted by two or three different factions."

The NDC spokesperson assured that the party leaders are working hard to fix the problems. "We are taking our time to make sure that we don’t mix up fake results with the valid ones. They have been very open and forthcoming with the valid and approved results to make sure that we don’t make mistakes. We are aware some forces have infiltrated our party in the South-East just to make sure that they undermine the mission of Peter Obi. They are trying to see how they can create confusion by bringing fake results to us here. But then, we are equal to the task and we are on top of the game. All these issues will be brought to the fore and deliberated upon. Far-reaching decisions will be taken at the NEC meeting tomorrow," he promised.

The NDC's admission comes just days after it distanced itself from several primary election results that were circulating on social media. The party insisted that only the National Executive Council can announce official outcomes. The NDC also said its NEC would meet to discuss reports from all over the country and handle disputes arising from the primary elections. With claims of parallel primaries and factional structures now coming up in the South-East, the outcome of the NEC meeting could decide the future of many aspirants and shape the party’s plans for the 2027 elections.