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From Adesuwa Tsan, Abuja
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has dismissed allegations of irregularities, insisting that no candidate was imposed by the party leadership during its nationwide primaries.
It described such allegations as a product of ignorance of the party’s constitution and guidelines, as well as, deliberate attempts to undermine its growing influence.
In a statement issued late Thursday and signed by the National Secretary, Ikenna Enekweizu, the party said caucus leaders, state chairmen, stakeholders and other party leaders had been mandated to engage aggrieved aspirants and members in the interest of unity and cohesion.
According to Enekweizu, the NDC should instead be commended for what he described as an innovative primary election process that placed significant emphasis on consultations and consensus building before voting.
The party maintained that the national secretariat was never involved in selecting candidates for any constituency or state.
“At no time has the NDC national secretariat been involved in the business of picking, choosing, or imposing candidates on any constituency or state,” Enekweizu stated.
He explained that all aspirants who approached the party were directed to engage with caucus leaders, stakeholders and grassroots members in their respective states.
The statement highlighted the South-East Geopolitical Zone, where the party said much of the criticism had originated, noting that its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, joined the party with an established leadership structure comprising elder statesmen and political leaders serving as caucus heads
The caucus leaders identified by the party include Onyema Ugochukwu in Abia State, Sam Egwu in Ebonyi State, Okwesilieze Nwodo in Enugu State and Achike Udenwa in Imo State, while Obi’s team coordinated activities in Anambra State.
According to the party, these leaders were responsible for consulting stakeholders, building consensus and making recommendations based on the political realities in their states, while recognised grassroots leaders also participated in the process.
The NDC stressed that aspirants who disagreed with recommendations made by stakeholders or caucus leaders were free to seek support through the democratic process.
