Imo NDC Primaries Crisis Deepens as Ex-Lawmaker Nwole Alleges Forgery, Demands Fresh Review

Former member of the House of Representatives for Mbaitoli/Ikeduru Federal Constituency, Hon. Uche Nwole, has urged the leadership of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) to urgently review its Imo State primary elections, alleging that the exercise was compromised and the declared results were forged.

Nwole, who served in the National Assembly between 1999 and 2003 under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), made the call while briefing journalists in Abuja, insisting that the disputed primaries cannot stand the test of credibility or internal party democracy.

He said his appeal to the party leadership was not born out of mistrust but confidence that the NDC could intervene and correct what he described as a “serious distortion” of the will of aspirants and party members in Imo State.

Allegations of Irregular Conduct

The former lawmaker alleged that no legitimate direct or consensus primaries were conducted as approved by the party, claiming that the process was effectively hijacked before any voting could take place.

According to him, a national panel reportedly sent to supervise the exercise, led by Chief Babatunde Ali, lost control of proceedings shortly after arriving in Imo State.

He alleged that the panel was hosted by political actors linked to Chief Martin Agbaso and later operated outside the official process, leading to what he described as parallel and questionable collation of results.

Nwole maintained that while local government party officials and executives reportedly attempted to collate results in line with party guidelines, a separate set of figures later emerged from outside the official process.
“These so-called results did not come from any voting exercise supervised across wards or local governments. What we have is a product of manipulation and not an election,” he alleged.

Dispute Over Outcome and Alleged Imposition
The petitioners also accused some party stakeholders of attempting to impose preferred candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections, warning that such actions could undermine the party’s chances in Imo State.

They further claimed that aspirants were sidelined during the process, while key supervisory officials allegedly disengaged from communication during critical stages of the exercise.

Nwole warned that failure to address the dispute could deepen internal divisions within the party, especially as preparations intensify ahead of the next general election cycle.

Call for Party Intervention

He called on the NDC leadership and its appeal committee to discard the disputed results and rely instead on what he described as authentic records generated by local government party officials.

“Our confidence in the party is why we are bringing this complaint forward. We believe the leadership will act justly and restore credibility to the process,” he said.
He urged the party to ensure that only transparent primaries are upheld, warning that unresolved disputes could weaken internal cohesion and electoral strength in Imo State.
Background

Imo State has long witnessed internal disputes over party primaries across different political platforms, often marked by parallel results, factional disagreements, and post-primary litigations.

The NDC leadership is yet to issue an official response to the allegations as of press time.