NDC Aspirants: Enugu Candidates Worried About Primary Membership Register at the Last Minute

Within the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), candidates are being selected for various positions. In Enugu State, some aspirants are uneasy after the party confirmed that it will use the membership register it submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the basis for the upcoming primary.

During a meeting with aspirants late on Thursday night, the Primary Election Committee stated that the register submitted to INEC will serve as the yardstick for the exercise.

The NDC had submitted its membership register to INEC on May 6, in an effort to beat the May 10 deadline previously set by the electoral authority.

Hours before the primary is set to begin, several aspirants who recently defected to the party—particularly those who lost contests in the All Progressives Congress (APC)—are reportedly confused about their eligibility.

Former House of Representatives member Rt Hon Pat Asadu, who is contesting the Enugu North Senatorial zone ticket, and former Nsukka Local Government Area chairman Hon Tony Ugwu, who is seeking the Nsukka/Igbo‑Eze South Federal Constituency ticket, are among the last‑minute defectors.

Asadu announced his resignation from the APC on May 9, while Ugwu’s resignation became public on May 20.

“At the briefing on Thursday night, we were told that the digital register submitted to INEC on May 6 will be used for the election,” one aspirant said. “So, for now, we don’t know who is actually qualified as an aspirant. If they are using the membership register submitted to INEC, it means that all those who joined after May 6 are not qualified.”

Adding to the confusion, NDC aspirant for the Nsukka/Igbo‑Eze South Federal Constituency, Obeta David Williams, highlighted the lack of a confirmed venue for the primary.

In a Facebook post on Friday, he wrote:

The events surrounding the proposed NDC primary election have become increasingly confusing and deeply concerning. Since the process began, several venues have been announced, only for each to prove either inaccessible or completely unaware of any planned primary election.

The first venue communicated to aspirants and stakeholders was Amaeze Ani. Upon arrival, the location was found to be locked and inaccessible. Subsequently, information emerged yesterday evening that the venue had been changed to STC. However, on getting there today, officials of the institution categorically stated that they had no knowledge of any primary election and that the school had neither been informed nor approved for such an exercise.

Thereafter, another communication suggested that the venue had been moved to the Catholic Cathedral. Yet, upon inquiry at the Cathedral, officials equally denied any knowledge of a primary election scheduled to take place there.

As of almost 10:00 a.m., none of the aspirants, stakeholders, or interested participants have been officially informed of the actual location where this crucial exercise is expected to hold. This level of uncertainty raises serious questions about transparency, organization, and fairness in the conduct of the process.

A primary election is a fundamental democratic exercise that should be conducted in a manner that inspires confidence among all participants.

Every aspirant must be adequately informed, every stakeholder must have equal access to the process, and the venue must be clearly communicated well in advance. Anything short of this risks creating unnecessary suspicion and undermining the credibility of the outcome.

At this moment, we are still awaiting clear and official information regarding the venue of the NDC primary election. The integrity of the process demands nothing less.