Abia North NDC Primary: Outrage as Results Delayed 48 Hours After Chaos; Uko Nkole, Opotoyom Fingered
Abia North NDC Primary: Outrage as Results Delayed 48 Hours After Chaos; Uko Nkole, Opotoyom Fingered
_Ohafia_ — The Nigerian Democratic Congress is facing a credibility test in Abia North after its House of Representatives primary for the Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency ended without declared results, 48 hours after voting.
A petition by party member Ósìnákáchī Àkùmà Kálū, addressed to the party’s National Working Committee and National Leader, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, alleged that the process was marred by disruption in Ohafia and did not hold in Arochukwu.
According to the petition, vote counting in Ohafia LGA was “disrupted while ongoing” at a time Rev. Daniel Imo was leading. “The counting process was never transparently concluded,” Kálū stated.
He described the situation in Arochukwu LGA as worse, alleging: “No meaningful primary election took place. No proper voting process occurred. No transparent counting occurred.”
The petition poses a direct challenge to the party: _“How can results emerge from a process that was either disrupted before completion or did not take place at all?”_
Former House of Representatives member, Hon. Uko Nkole, was singled out for criticism. “Leaders are expected to calm tensions, strengthen institutions, and protect democratic procedures,” Kálū wrote, querying why “a seasoned politician” would allow his ambition to be “associated with a process that has generated so much dissatisfaction, confusion, and controversy.”
The petition also addressed Chief Nnamdi Iro Oji, popularly known as Opotoyom, acknowledging his “extraordinary grassroots strength” but cautioning that “leadership is not merely about popularity. Leadership is about defending the mandate of the people when it matters most.”
Kálū further listed Federal House of Representatives aspirant Dike Chidozie Okwara and House of Assembly aspirant Ikechukwu Ukwa Kalu, who allegedly hijacked the ballot box in Ohafia.
*Kálū listed four demands for the NWC:*
1. Investigate the events of 29th May 2026 in Ohafia and Arochukwu.
2. Review all reports, videos, eyewitness testimonies, and records from party officials.
3. Determine whether democratic standards were met.
4. Where necessary, order fresh and credible primaries.
“This is one of the first major tests of the NDC’s commitment to internal democracy,” the petition read. “If we fail this test, we risk becoming the very thing we promised Nigerians we would replace.”
It cited the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines, arguing that “a process interrupted before completion cannot simply be certified as valid without serious investigation.”
The NDC NWC had yet to react to the petition as of Sunday night. Efforts to reach Hon. Nkole and Chief Oji for comments were unsuccessful.
Senator Dickson has repeatedly emphasised internal democracy as a core value of the NDC.
“Abia North is watching. Party members are watching. Nigeria is watching. The integrity of the NDC is on trial,” the petition concluded.
