A senatorial aspirant, Isaac Nwachukwu, has dragged the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the Federal High Court in Owerri, Imo State, over the party’s alleged failure to recognise him as its candidate for the Imo North Senatorial District.
Nwachukwu, through his counsel, C.J. Oguzie, filed the suit on Wednesday, alleging that despite emerging as the consensus candidate and meeting all party requirements, the NDC denied him its senatorial ticket.
According to the court documents, Nwachukwu purchased the party’s expression of interest form to contest for the Senate seat and was later asked to pay N5 million for the nomination form. He further claimed to have contributed N20 million to support the party’s growth.
He alleged, however, that irregularities emerged during the screening process when his N20 million contribution was allegedly credited to another aspirant from the district, Matthew Omegara, while Omegara’s N10 million contribution was attributed to him.
“That upon the purchase of the expression of interest form, I made a monetary contribution in support of the party’s growth in the sum of N20 million into the party’s FCMB account through my solicitor, Cajethan Oguzie,” he stated in an affidavit supporting the suit.
Nwachukwu said he participated in the party’s screening exercise, was successfully cleared to contest the primary election, and was subsequently ratified as the consensus candidate for Imo North Senatorial District.
He further claimed that after being declared the winner of the primary election, his name was later substituted with that of Omegara.
According to him, the party’s national leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, invited him to a meeting and informed him that former Imo State Governor Achike Udenwa had complained through the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, that he was not known to him and should not be fielded as the party’s candidate for the district.
In the suit, Nwachukwu is seeking a declaration that he is the valid consensus candidate of the NDC for the Imo North Senatorial District in the 2027 general election.
He is also asking the court to restrain the NDC from fielding any other candidate for the election and to prevent INEC from recognising or accepting the candidacy of any other person for the seat pending the determination of the case.
Additionally, he wants the court to compel the NDC to issue him a certificate of return as its duly nominated candidate for the Imo North Senatorial District.
