The political landscape in Imo State has experienced a fresh tremor as Isaac Nwachukwu, an aspirant for the Imo North senatorial seat, has officially initiated legal action against the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In a suit brought before the Federal High Court in Owerri, Nwachukwu is challenging the party’s handling of its recent National Assembly primaries. The aspirant, represented by his counsel, Cajethan Oguzie, alleges a series of irregularities that he claims led to the unlawful substitution of his name as the party’s consensus candidate for the 2027 general election.
At the heart of the legal dispute are claims regarding financial contributions and party screening processes. Nwachukwu asserts that he paid the necessary fees for his nomination form and made a substantial contribution of N20 million to support the party’s growth.
However, according to court documents, Nwachukwu claims that a significant irregularity occurred when the payment records were published. He alleges that his N20 million contribution was erroneously credited to another aspirant, Matthew Omegara, while his own record reflected only N10 million.
”The first sign of irregularity and no compliance with the NDC constitution and electoral act came up when the N20m I paid for party support was allocated to one of the aspirants for my Senatorial District by the name Matthew Omegara,” Nwachukwu stated in his affidavit.
Nwachukwu maintains that he successfully navigated the party’s screening committee, headed by Sam Egwu and Buba Galadimma, and was officially ratified as the consensus candidate for the Imo North Senatorial District. He further alleges that the party’s national leader, Seriake Dickson, later informed him that his candidacy was in jeopardy because a party chieftain from his home state purportedly did not recognize him.
Seeking to rectify what he describes as an unfair process, Nwachukwu has asked the court for the following reliefs:
- A formal declaration that he is the rightful consensus candidate of the NDC for the Imo North Senatorial District.
- An order of injunction to prevent the NDC from fielding any other individual as its candidate for the upcoming election.
- A restraining order directed at INEC to prevent the commission from recognizing any other person as the party’s candidate while the matter remains sub judice.
- A court mandate directing the NDC to issue him the certificate of candidacy for the district.
The legal battle highlights ongoing tensions regarding internal party democracy and candidate selection processes ahead of the 2027 electoral cycle. As the court prepares to hear the arguments, all eyes remain on how the judiciary will interpret the evidence presented by the aspirant.
The court has yet to set a date for the hearing of the substantive motion.
Disclaimer: This report is based on court filings. Further developments will be updated as they emerge.
