The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has appealed for peace after party members held a peaceful demonstration in Edo State, protesting alleged irregularities during the party’s primaries.
According to reports from the News Agency of Nigeria, the primaries to select candidates for the 2027 general elections took place across the country on Friday, covering presidential, National Assembly, and House of Assembly seats.
Some disgruntled members of the party in Edo took to the streets just before the primaries were set to begin. They voiced concerns over what they described as unfair practices by the National Working Committee in organizing the exercise.
Mr. Fred Owotorufa, the chairman of the NDC primaries in Edo, addressed journalists in Benin and insisted that the primaries must proceed and would finish before midnight. He urged all aspirants and their supporters to go to their respective wards and local government areas for the voting. Owotorufa assured them that the process would be transparent and equitable.
He explained that the results would be transmitted from the wards to the party’s local government offices, then to constituency offices, and finally to the committee in Benin for state-level collation. He emphasized that the entire process should be wrapped up by midnight, calling for sacrifice and dedication to the party and the nation.
Owotorufa clarified that the NDC does not favor any aspirant and has ensured a fair playing field for all candidates.
One of the protesters, Mr. Cletus Omoruyi, claimed that members were told to come early only to be later instructed to return to their wards. He expressed frustration, saying, “How is that possible? Look at the time. They are not being transparent; that’s why we are protesting.”
Another aggrieved member, Ms. Monica Enabulele, voiced her disappointment with the entire process, stating that they had expected the committee to be more proactive. “We are not confident that we will get what we hoped for from this process,” she said.
Mr. David Omokugbo, a party chieftain, demanded an explanation from the committee for the long delay before issuing the directive for direct primaries.