Abakaliki, Ebonyi State — The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Ebonyi State has plunged into a deep internal crisis following the mass resignation of several State Executive Committee members, who accused the party leadership of corruption, financial impropriety, and irregularities in its recent primaries.
The resignations, announced on Sunday in Abakaliki, involved the party’s Deputy Chairman, Secretary, Youth Leader, Welfare Officer, and other key executives, marking one of the most significant internal breakdowns in the state chapter.
Former Deputy Chairman, Comrade Okey Idenyi, said the decision became inevitable after what he described as the “hijack” of the party by new entrants who allegedly sidelined founding members.
“We completed the ward, local government, state congresses and the national convention before politicians from other parties came in and took over the structure of the party,” he said.
He further alleged that the party abandoned earlier consensus arrangements for its primaries, replacing them with what he called a “chaotic and discredited process.”
Idenyi also accused the party of imposing heavy financial burdens on aspirants, claiming that House of Assembly aspirants paid ₦100,000, House of Representatives aspirants ₦300,000, Senate aspirants ₦500,000, and governorship aspirants ₦750,000.
Barrister Solomon Chinedu Adum, another resigning executive, described the situation as a breakdown of internal democracy, alleging that aspirants were later asked to pay additional sums running into millions of naira after purchasing nomination forms.
“The party would ask aspirants to pay ₦20 million into another account after purchasing forms… Many paid in good faith, but were later dropped in favour of political godfathers,” he alleged.
He said a vote of no confidence had earlier been passed on the state chairman, Prince Alumu E. Nayib Desi, over alleged manipulation of the primaries.
The party’s Youth Leader, Anthony Nwofe, also resigned, describing the primaries as “one of the worst among major political parties,” while Welfare Officer Mr. Cyril Ajah confirmed his exit, citing loss of confidence in the party’s leadership.
The aggrieved executives also raised concerns about the future direction of the party’s presidential candidate, alleging infiltration by vested political interests.
As of the time of filing this report, the NDC leadership in Ebonyi State had not issued an official response to the allegations.
