{"id":49480,"date":"2026-06-18T14:00:27","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T14:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.imotrumpeta.com\/?p=49480"},"modified":"2026-06-18T14:00:46","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T14:00:46","slug":"ndc-imo-east-senatorial-aspirantsonyeagbakookpennwulu-drag-party-inec-to-court-over-alleged-candidate-imposition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.imotrumpeta.com\/?p=49480","title":{"rendered":"NDC Imo East Senatorial Aspirants,Onyeagbako,Okpe,Nnwulu Drag Party, INEC to Court Over Alleged Candidate Imposition"},"content":{"rendered":"

NDC Imo East Senatorial Aspirants,Onyeagbako,Okpe,Nnwulu Drag Party, INEC to Court Over Alleged Candidate Imposition\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fresh cracks have emerged within the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as all the party’s aspirants for the Imo East Senatorial District have dragged the party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the Federal High Court over the alleged imposition of a candidate ahead of the 2027 general elections.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Trumpeta Newspaper gathered that the legal action followed a strategic meeting of all Imo State NDC aspirants held on June 17, 2026, at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, where party stakeholders and aspirants reviewed developments surrounding the party’s primary elections in the state.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The development was disclosed to our Correspondent in Abuja by one of the aggrieved senatorial aspirants shortly after the meeting. The aspirant, who spoke on the condition that the matter is now before the court, expressed disappointment over what he described as the party’s failure to adhere to the provisions of the Electoral Act in selecting its candidate for the Imo East Senatorial District.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The plaintiffs in the suit are Chief Barr. Charles Chinedum Onyeagbako, Chief Barr. Anetochukwu Nworgu (PhD), Hon. Tony Nwulu, Hon. Tony Okpe, and Hon. Okadigbo Chijioke Odaghara (PhD), all of whom contested for the NDC’s Imo East Senatorial ticket.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The aspirants have sued the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), alleging that the party failed to conduct lawful primary elections and also failed to secure the written consent of all aspirants before allegedly adopting a consensus candidate.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

According to the originating summons filed before the Federal High Court, the plaintiffs contend that the party’s actions constitute a flagrant violation of the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The suit seeks judicial interpretation of Sections 84, 85, 87, and 88 of the Electoral Act, which govern the conduct of party primaries and candidate nominations.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In their affidavit before the court, the aspirants stated that each of them purchased nomination and expression of interest forms from the party at a cost of \u20a63 million and successfully participated in the party’s screening exercise ahead of primaries initially scheduled for May 28, 2026.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

However, they alleged that the party abruptly announced the postponement of the primaries on the eve of the exercise, only for senior party officials to later reverse the decision and direct that the primaries proceed as originally scheduled.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The plaintiffs further claimed that despite mobilizing supporters and committing substantial financial and logistical resources, no primary election was eventually conducted on either May 28 or May 29, 2026.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

According to the court documents, the aspirants alleged that some individuals subsequently organized what they described as unofficial gatherings and produced results outside the recognized electoral process, while others allegedly held meetings with delegates in hotels and private residences.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The plaintiffs insist that no valid primary election took place in Imo East Senatorial District and that no consensus candidate was agreed upon by all aspirants as required under the Electoral Act.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

They also disclosed that they petitioned the party’s national leadership on June 7, 2026, warning against any attempt to impose a candidate. According to them, the petition was duly acknowledged but never received any response from the party leadership.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Among the reliefs being sought before the court are:- A declaration that NDC failed to conduct valid primaries or obtain the consent of aspirants for a consensus arrangement.- A declaration that any nomination arising from the alleged process is unlawful and contrary to the Electoral Act.- An order nullifying any candidate purportedly nominated for the Imo East Senatorial District.- A perpetual injunction restraining INEC from recognizing or including any candidate submitted by the NDC for the senatorial district.- General damages of \u20a6500 million for losses, inconvenience, frustration, and alleged breaches suffered by the plaintiffs.- Ten percent post-judgment interest until full payment.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The plaintiffs maintain that unless the court intervenes, the party and INEC may proceed with a candidate who neither emerged through valid primaries nor through a lawful consensus arrangement.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Political observers say the outcome of the case could have far-reaching implications for internal party democracy and candidate nomination procedures ahead of the 2027 general elections.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As of the time of filing this report, neither the Nigeria Democratic Congress nor INEC had issued an official response to the allegations contained in the suit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NDC Imo East Senatorial Aspirants,Onyeagbako,Okpe,Nnwulu Drag Party, INEC to Court Over Alleged Candidate Imposition  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49480","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-frontpage"],"yoast_head":"\nNDC Imo East Senatorial Aspirants,Onyeagbako,Okpe,Nnwulu Drag Party, INEC to Court Over Alleged Candidate Imposition -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.imotrumpeta.com\/?p=49480\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NDC Imo East Senatorial Aspirants,Onyeagbako,Okpe,Nnwulu Drag Party, INEC to Court 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