Ebonyi NDC Collapses As Deputy Chairman, Secretary, Others Resign Over Party Hijack, Alleged Fruad

By Alex Odeh, Pan Afric Reporters

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC)Ebonyi State chapter has witnessed massive resignation of its State Executive members, following allegations of corruption, financial fraud, lack of equity and justice and controversy that marred the just concluded primaries of the party in the state.

The resignation of the SEC members was announced to journalists on Sunday during a press briefing held in Abakaliki, as the Ebonyi State NDC Deputy Chairman, Secretary, Youth Leader and the Welfare officers among others took turns to announce their formal resignation from the party

Speaking, the former Deputy Chairman NDC in Ebonyi State, Comrade Okey Idenyi lamented that after they had laid the structure for the party in Ebonyi State, even before Peter Obi joined NDC, corrupt politicians emerged from the back door and hijacked the structure of the party in Ebonyi state, shutting out those who laid the foundation of the party.

He, further, expressed total disappointment to the deceit which played out during the 2026 primaries of the Party, accusing the party of acting contrary to its resolve of announcing a consensus candidate by allowing all aspirants to contest the primaries, which he said ended up in shambles and shame.

He said, “ as soon as we finished the Congress, Ward Congress, Local Government Congress, State Congress, and the National Convention, then politicians from other political parties invaded the party. And then came in with almost everything in hell to take over and hijack the party.

“So, with time, they said we were going to do consensus. It’s going to be one person per position. But that one failed.

“They asked all the aspirants to go for primary elections. And then, on the day of the primaries, we were disappointed. What we saw that day was a shamble, a disgrace, a shame to anyone claiming to be obedient.

“You know, there are other political parties where they would have shown that kind of awful behaviour. So, the State Party Chairman, at that day, was nowhere to be found. The stakeholders of the party were nowhere to be found”, he recalled.

He further reiterated that he cannot continue to remain in a political party that lacks transparency and accountability, narrating how aspirants were defrauded.

“The Chairman of the party organised a fund-raising meeting, where he demanded that all the aspirants of House of Assembly pay the sum of 100,000 Naira.
Those going for House of Rep, pay 300,000 Naira. Those for Senate, 500,000 Naira. Gubernatorial aspirants, 750,000 Naira.

“So I cannot continue deceiving myself that we are in a different political party that is meant to better the life of Nigerians. Because they are all the same people. Because they came from other political parties and then took over the leadership and hijacked the whole process”, he said.

In the same vein, Barrister Solomon Chinedu Adum, the NDC Secretary of the party said that he can no longer tolerate or endure the malady rocking the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC)where the party completely denied foundation members opportunity to run for various elective positions as provided by law, adding that all efforts for them to enthrone peace in the party was jettisoned by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, that also refused to act when it was reported that the party in the state has been hijacked by corrupt politicians.

He hinged his reason for resigning from the party on the claims that the NDC has no plan both at the national and at the state levels, saying if it had plan, it would have reacted to the letter that was written to it, even as he lamented the inept corruption rocking the party, describing the party as a party that, “robs Peter to pay Paul”.

He also stated, “After reading to them our demand by the state chapter of the party about the state NDC, which I signed, the deputy chairman signed, because the deputy became acting chairman based on the vote of no confidence passed on the state party chairman, Prince Alum Enyinnaya for compromising during the time of primary that the primary could not hold again.

According to him, NDC is a scam. Barrister Adum recalled a situation where as aspirants after purchase of nomination and expression of interest forms for three million and above to contest for elective positions the party asked the aspirants to go and pay twenty millions naira in another account before they were screened, arguing that they would have done that after screening, if it were not targeted to defraud members of the party.

He regretted that most of the aspirants who paid the twenty million and ten million naira for senate and house of representatives primaries respectively were eventually dropped because they have no godfather in the Party, describing such action by the party as a scam.

Barr Adum explained, “the party will tell you to go and pay 20 million Naira in different account. And when the people are buying a form and are assuming that they are buying a form truly that at the end of the day, they will be given a ticket to run the election. Knowing that everybody is paying that 20 million Naira. They would have done that before screening or saying you drop, go or that person should get the form and pay 20 million Naira. Because if you are paying 20 million Naira, you are paying it with a faith.

“You have an ambition to achieve. So a number of people have paid 20 million Naira, those of them that are for Senate. Then for House of Reps, 10 million Naira. You go and pay 10 million Naira to support the party. And majority of the people have paid. And most of them are the party faithful. And these are the people that have been dropped and they picked people who have godfather. That’s what happened. So I call it a scam”, he said.

However, he said despite the monumental scam in the party and grievances it generated ,he tried to make peace, but discovered that the leaders have compromised.

“So we have tried to make peace and it could not work because they are robbing Peter to pay Paul. Why? After our demands, we have not heard from them. It could be that , they have soiled their hands in one way or another”, he said.

He, moreover, declared that the NDC lacks democratic principles and direction, even as he expressed pity for Peter Obi, saying that the party has been infiltrated to the extent that the fate of Peter Obi, despite the love for him by everybody, is no longer known.

“But the party has been slowly infiltrated to the extent that I don’t know what will be his fate. Remember, I am the state coordinator of the Obedient Movement.

“If Ashia Yusuf could not get a ticket of FCT to run in the general election, and some of us have no place to place our hands, especially the founder, the foundation of members of the party, I have been totally denied a ticket because of former this or former that.

“Sam Egwu has used it as his own personal property. The way he drives it is the way the vehicle moves. And some of us are no more comfortable.
And I don’t want to remain in the party”, Adum declared.

Also, the Ebonyi State Welfare Officer, Mr. Cyril Ajah and the Youth Leader, Anthony Nwofe of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), joined to announce their resignation from the Party.

The youth leader argued that the primaries conducted by the NDC could be rated worst among other political parties like the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), saying that even when the Ebonyi NDC petitioned the outcome of the primaries, rather than the national working committee to address it, the same leader who sabotaged the party was mandated to come and reconcile aggrieved party members.

Anthony Nwofe said, “I am here to make the world know that I am no longer interested in the party. I have resigned and for me to announce it to the whole Nigeria, that is why I am here . The activities going on in NDC do not align with my own ideal”, he said.

He explained that the kangaroo manner the NDC primaries were conducted in Ebonyi State warranted him to resign from the party, saying that the outcome of the primaries by NDC did not reflect the party’s yearnings for a new Nigeria, because the primaries were not free and fair.

“There is no way I can continue with that system”, he said.

The Welfare Officer, Mr. Cyril Ajah in a telephone interview also stated that he has resigned from his position and withdrew his support from Peter Obi.

He said, “I don’t want to participate in anything they are doing in that party because what they are doing now is not the way the party is being handled. If you want to hijack the party, you have to find another man. I have resigned from the party. I have withdrawn my support from Obedient”, he said.