This post has already been read at least 11183 times!
A major political storm has erupted within the Ebonyi State chapter of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) following allegations of a ₦600 million fraud scheme and the alleged manipulation of the party’s direct primary election process.
The Network for Good Governance and the Rule of Law, a coalition of pro-democracy and accountability advocates, has thrown its weight behind the Ebonyi State Secretary of the party, Barr. Adum Solomon Chinedu, while demanding the immediate suspension of the NDC State Chairman, Prince Alum Enyinnaya Udensi, and the State Organising Secretary over alleged misconduct.
In a strongly worded statement issued by the Network’s National Directorate of Media and Strategic Communication, the group accused key party officials of orchestrating what it described as a “heavily monetized charade” designed to undermine internal democracy and disenfranchise party members across the state.
According to the organisation, its position followed what it described as an extensive review of events surrounding the controversial primary elections and the whistleblowing allegations earlier made by Barr. Chinedu.
“The NDC Direct Primary Elections scheduled across the wards in Ebonyi State were not an election; they were a heavily monetized charade, a bazaar, and a complete sham manufactured to subvert the will of every card-carrying member of the party,” the statement declared.
The group alleged that Prince Udensi and the State Organising Secretary abandoned their constitutional responsibilities as neutral party administrators and entered into a secret alliance with supporters of former Ebonyi State Governor, Senator Sam Ominyi Egwu, to compromise the primary election process.
It further claimed that intelligence available to the organisation indicated that approximately ₦600 million was allegedly deployed to influence the party structure and manipulate the outcome of the primaries.
The Network argued that under the Electoral Act, the NDC primary election in Ebonyi State was required to be conducted as a direct primary, granting all registered party members the right to participate in the selection process.
“By law, every registered member of the NDC in Ebonyi State is a legitimate statutory delegate with the fundamental right to cast a vote for their preferred aspirant at the ward level,” the group stated.
According to the organisation, genuine party members were allegedly denied participation in the exercise across the state’s 171 wards.
It accused the party leadership of preventing lawful members from voting while allegedly replacing the direct primary process with predetermined outcomes.
The statement further alleged that instead of conducting transparent ward-level voting, party officials compiled results outside the official voting framework and imposed outcomes on party members.
Describing the development as a grave assault on democratic principles, the Network warned that the alleged actions threatened the credibility of the party and could trigger deeper divisions within its ranks.
The group commended Barr. Chinedu for what it described as courage in exposing the alleged irregularities despite pressure from powerful political interests.
“Our Network declares total, unalloyed and institutional solidarity with Barr. Adum Solomon Chinedu for standing on the side of truth, transparency and constitutional order within the party,” the statement said.
The organisation consequently called on the national leadership of the NDC to launch an immediate investigation into the allegations and take decisive disciplinary action against any officials found culpable.
It also urged anti-corruption and electoral oversight agencies to independently scrutinise the claims surrounding the conduct of the primary elections.
The controversy is expected to intensify political tensions within the Ebonyi NDC as stakeholders await responses from the accused officials and the party’s national leadership regarding the allegations.
As of press time, neither the Ebonyi State Chairman of the NDC, Prince Alum Enyinnaya Udensi, nor Senator Sam Ominyi Egwu had publicly responded to the allegations contained in the statement.
This post has already been read at least 11183 times!
About the Author
