Ogochukwu Onyema, a former Deputy President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and chieftain of the Labour Party in Enugu State, who was also a senatorial aspirant for Enugu West under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2027 elections, has announced his departure from the party, expressing a complete loss of confidence in its leadership and processes.
Disillusionment with NDC
Onyema, a lawyer by profession, was among those who defected to the NDC from the African Democratic Congress (ADC). In a media chat titled “My experience with Nigeria Democratic Party (NDC), in the recent past” released on Friday, he stated that the NDC has not lived up to his expectations. According to him, the party is not real, transparent, or sincere. He criticized the party for focusing only on selling Expression of Interest forms and collecting money through various means, while failing to comply with its own published guidelines.
Primaries and Alleged Manipulation
Having participated in the party’s primaries the previous weekend, Onyema noted that numerous irregularities plagued the process. He accused godfathers within the party of disregarding the efforts, sacrifices, and victories of genuine aspirants, attempting to replace popular candidates with their personal loyalists and assistants. He emphasized that capacity, political relevance, and the clear wishes of the people have been ignored. Onyema warned that the party leaders seem to believe they can impose any candidate of their choice regardless of the primary election outcome, but the people are now more politically conscious and will resist such decisions.
Onyema further alleged that the party leadership deliberately refused to announce the results of the screening exercise and the purported primary elections. He claimed this was to enable certain godfathers to replace rooted candidates with their preferred nominees and submit the names to INEC before making biased results public, making it difficult to challenge the outcome.
Specific Allegations Against a Delta State Godfather
In a pointed accusation, Onyema alleged that a particular godfather from Delta State, described as a professor of repute who preaches a “New Nigeria,” is working through NDC leaders to undermine the wishes of the people in Enugu West Senatorial District. He claimed this individual is promoting his Personal Assistant, a person with no known political base or established address in Enugu State, to take over the senatorial ticket. Onyema described this as unfair and vowed to resist it in the most civil manner.
Future Plans and Assurance
Despite his exit from the NDC, Onyema stated that he is resolved to deliver credible candidates in the 2028 elections, though not under the NDC banner. He expressed confidence that the people will distinguish incompetent fellows relying on another politician’s wave. Onyema also alleged that all the structures built for Peter Obi, which they had intended to inject into the NDC, were rejected under the pretext that everyone must remain in the party for at least 28 days before assuming office. As a result, no viable structure exists except at the national and state levels, with limited local government and ward leadership.
Onyema assured the people of Enugu West that they have a credible alternative to vote for as their senator, irrespective of political party affiliation.
