NDC Begins Primary Election, Waives Fees For Aspirants

By Ayodele Oni

As the National Democratic Congress (NDC),  begins its primary election for aspirants on Thursday, it has waived payment for nomination and expression of interest forms.

The party explained that only those that win the primary election will  be profiled by the leadership and subsequent payment of necessary fees.

NDC said in a statement that: “After extensive hours of deliberations yesterday, which lasted till this morning, and in the company of the National Chairman of our party, our Presidential Aspirant, His Excellency Peter Obi, and other key members of the National Working Committee and Selection Committee, we received the report of the Screening Committee led by His Excellency, Sam Egwu.

“We thank the committee for its painstaking work, which lasted almost a week, especially in handling the staggering number of aspirants that far exceeded our expectations.

“We also thank all the aspirants for their confidence in the NDC, as well as those who made donations to the party and chose our platform to express their political ambitions across the country. Their numbers run into thousands, and we wish them the very best.

“Following a briefing at the joint meeting of the Selection Committee and the Screening Committee, and in view of the constraints of time, it was decided that all those who purchased Expression of Interest Forms would be allowed to participate in the primaries in their various constituencies.

“Only successful candidates will report to the party secretariat for documentation and, in the process, pay for nomination forms and complete other necessary forms.

“The teams for the primaries have been selected, comprising senior officials of the party, and have been deployed to every state to conduct the exercise with the support of stakeholders and local leaders. We wish them success in this important assignment.

“Our party is women and youth friendly, and we urge the teams to pay attention to aspirants with the capacity to win elections.

“They should liaise with stakeholders and remain open and fair in protecting the interests of all aspirants because, at the end of the day, we are a platform for everyone.

“We call for violence-free primaries and reiterate our zero tolerance for violent behaviour. The party will take serious action against anyone who resorts to violence, threats, intimidation, or disorderly conduct.

“As a result of the tight timelines we are working with, aspirants are expected to proceed with the primaries from 28th and 29th May 2026, using their Expression of Interest Forms to enable them participate.

“An Appeal Panel will also be inaugurated to look into complaints that may arise during the process.

“Note that, in line with the party guidelines, the primaries will be conducted through direct primaries at the constituency level for State Assembly positions, while House of Representatives, Senate, governorship, and presidential affirmations will take place at the various Local Government Headquarters.

“Final results will be announced at the party’s National Secretariat by the Selection Committee and the NEC. We strongly recommend consensus where necessary.

“We call for understanding and support because of the limited time available, which made it impossible for the party to fully implement the electronic system we had designed for all party primaries and congresses.

“As I said at the dinner with aspirants, this will be the last primary election in the NDC to be conducted manually.

“We understand that the manual process may not be perfect due to time constraints and logistical challenges, and we ask everyone to bear with us.

“Our intentions are sincere, and future primaries will be conducted electronically to minimise complaints and other challenges.

“Finally, we urge the teams to be fair to all aspirants, collaborate with stakeholders and interest groups, and work closely with INEC and security agencies to ensure a peaceful, credible, and transparent process.

“Bear with us and join us as we strive to build an enduring modern political institution, not a special-purpose vehicle for any individual political interest, but a party that will outlast all of us.”