Three House of Representatives aspirants challenge the outcome of the Ojo Federal Constituency primary, alleging candidate imposition and the absence of a valid election

Three aspirants seeking the House of Representatives ticket for Ojo Federal Constituency in Lagos State under the Nigeria Democratic Congress have formally petitioned the party’s national leadership, alleging that no valid primary election was conducted and demanding a fresh exercise.

The petition, led by aspirant Godwin Ezeoke and addressed to the National Chairman through the National Secretary, was obtained on Tuesday and accused party officials of declaring a winner despite the absence of an election process.

Godwin Ezeoke, speaking on behalf of the aggrieved aspirants in Lagos on Tuesday, described the development as a serious breach of the party’s constitution and electoral guidelines.

The petition, signed by legal practitioner C.C. Iloabanafo, characterised the alleged actions of party officials as “unprecedented, unlawful, unconstitutional, undemocratic, and arbitrary.”

At the centre of the NDC Primary Dispute is the claim that party officials, including the chairman and secretary, failed to organise a recognised primary before announcing a candidate for the constituency.

According to the petitioners, the declaration has fuelled dissatisfaction among party members and raised concerns about the credibility of the candidate selection process ahead of future electoral contests.

“The declaration of a winner without an election has generated widespread dissatisfaction, tension and distrust among party members within Ojo Federal Constituency,” Ezeoke stated in the petition.

Another aspirant, Ifeanyi Okparaugo, supported the allegations, insisting that no election took place at the scheduled venue.

“There was no election. I only saw people queuing with no electoral officials in sight. When I asked questions, I was ignored,” Okparaugo said.

Okparaugo further alleged that officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission were not present during the exercise, a claim that has intensified questions surrounding the process.

A third aspirant, Ola Ogunlana, also rejected the legitimacy of the exercise and challenged party officials to provide evidence that a primary election was conducted.

“If they claimed there was a primary, they should provide visual evidence because there was nothing that looked like an election,” Ogunlana said.

Beyond the allegations of procedural irregularities, the aspirants claimed that the venue used for the exercise was funded by one of the contestants rather than the party itself.

They argued that such an arrangement raises additional concerns about fairness and transparency.

The petitioners urged the National Working Committee to nullify the purported outcome, withdraw recognition from the declared winner and organise a fresh primary election.

They also called for an independent investigative panel to examine the circumstances surrounding the exercise.

The dispute comes at a time when political parties across Nigeria are under increasing scrutiny to ensure internal democracy and transparent candidate selection processes.

Similar controversies over primaries have previously resulted in legal battles, court-ordered reruns and, in some cases, the disqualification of candidates.

Responding to the controversy, the party’s spokesperson, Osa Director, confirmed that a reconciliation committee had been established to address the grievances raised by the aspirants.

“We have set up a reconciliation committee. I want that thing to percolate to the state, local government and ward levels,” Director said.

The spokesperson acknowledged that discussions with dissatisfied members were still ongoing but expressed confidence that the matter would be resolved quickly.

“We have not been able to completely have everybody on board. In the next 24 to 48 hours, we will do that. We don’t want even one single person to leave on account of one person,” he added.

The outcome of the reconciliation effort is expected to determine whether the NDC Primary Dispute can be resolved internally or escalates into a wider legal and political challenge for the party in Lagos State.