Prominent African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, Kenneth Okonkwo, has made fresh allegations against the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), accusing the party of conducting what he described as a deeply flawed and fraudulent candidate selection process.
Speaking during an interview on Symfoni TV, Okonkwo claimed that several political aspirants who left the ADC for the NDC in Enugu State later contacted him with complaints about their experiences during the party’s primaries.
The former Labour Party spokesperson alleged that some aspirants were required to make additional payments beyond official nomination fees in an effort to secure party tickets.
According to Okonkwo, individuals seeking House of Representatives tickets were allegedly asked to pay ₦10 million, while senatorial aspirants were reportedly required to pay ₦20 million.
“I can tell you without mincing words that NDC is the greatest fraud that has ever happened,” Okonkwo said during the interview.
He further alleged that despite making the payments, some of the aspirants were unsuccessful in obtaining the tickets they sought.
“Aspirants in my state who left ADC for the NDC called to tell me after the primary that those who wanted to be House of Representatives members, after paying their fees, were told they were going to pay a bribe of 10 million naira, and they paid,” he said.
“Those who wanted to be senators were told they would pay 20 million naira and they had to pay. And after that, they still collected their money and failed them. These are real aspirants under NDC.”
Okonkwo did not provide documentary evidence during the interview to support the allegations, and the NDC had not publicly responded to the claims at the time of filing this report.
The accusations are likely to generate debate within political circles, particularly as parties continue preparations ahead of future electoral contests. Allegations of financial inducement and irregularities in party primaries have remained recurring issues in Nigeria’s political landscape.
Observers note that any formal investigation into such claims would require evidence and official complaints from affected aspirants before relevant authorities can take action.
