The crisis rocking the Anambra State chapter of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has deepened over the party’s ticket for the Anaocha Constituency-I seat in the forthcoming Anambra State House of Assembly election.
The controversy centres on competing claims by the incumbent lawmaker representing the constituency, Ms Nkechi Ogbuefi, and another aspirant, Mr Azubuike Okoye, over who is the authentic candidate of the party.
Ogbuefi, who is also the Deputy Minority Leader of the Assembly, told journalists in Awka that she participated in the NDC primary election and was duly nominated as the party’s candidate for Anaocha-I.
She alleged that Okoye had been parading himself as the NDC candidate despite allegedly not purchasing the party’s nomination form, undergoing screening or participating in its primary election.
Ogbuefi said she had followed Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Mr Peter Obi, into the NDC and that sitting lawmakers were assured of automatic tickets.
According to her, “Like other sitting members, I was given the nomination form and participated in the primary election. After the primary election, I was returned and duly nominated as the candidate for Anaocha-I Constituency.”
She further alleged that Okoye obtained a nomination form from the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and participated in its House of Representatives primary before subsequently claiming the NDC’s State Assembly ticket.
Ogbuefi also claimed that the NDC appeared before the Federal High Court in Abuja in a case instituted by another aspirant and affirmed her as its candidate.
“The court ultimately affirmed me as the winner of the primary election of the party,” she said.
She added that the NDC Chairman in Anambra, Mr Ikem Uzoezie, had advised her to disregard Okoye’s claim, while Obi allegedly sent her name to the party chairman as the candidate.
Efforts to obtain Uzoezie’s reaction were unsuccessful, as calls to his phone went unanswered, while text and WhatsApp messages were not acknowledged.
However, Okoye declined to engage Ogbuefi in a public dispute, saying the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would soon publish the official list of candidates submitted by political parties.
He urged journalists to wait for INEC’s publication before determining who is the authentic NDC candidate.
“In the next one week, INEC will publish the list of candidates for the election. My brother, I cannot say anything now, and I cannot say I am the candidate of the party,” Okoye said.
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Anaocha Constituency-I is also politically significant as it is the constituency of Obi, who contested the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the Labour Party.
The dispute is therefore expected to remain unsettled until the official list submitted by the NDC and published by INEC clarifies the party’s candidate for the constituency.
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