The Ebonyi State chapter of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has been thrown into crisis following the mass resignation of key members of its State Executive Committee (SEC) over allegations of corruption, financial impropriety, lack of internal democracy and the controversial conduct of the party's recent primaries.
Those who announced their resignation during a press briefing in Abakaliki on Sunday included the party's Deputy Chairman, Comrade Okey Idenyi; State Secretary, Barrister Solomon Chinedu Adum; Youth Leader, Anthony Nwofe; and Welfare Officer, Mr. Cyril Ajah, among others.
Addressing journalists, Idenyi accused some politicians who recently joined the party of hijacking its structure in Ebonyi State and sidelining founding members who laid its foundation before the influx of new entrants.
According to him, the crisis escalated after the party allegedly failed to honour an earlier agreement to adopt a consensus arrangement for elective positions.
He alleged that the conduct of the primaries fell short of expectations and was marred by irregularities.
"We built the structure of this party in Ebonyi State before many of those currently in control joined us. But after the congresses and national convention, politicians from other parties came in and took over the process.
"They promised consensus candidates for various positions, but later directed all aspirants to participate in primaries. What happened on the day of the exercise was a disgrace and a betrayal of the ideals we stood for," Idenyi said.
The former deputy chairman further alleged that aspirants were compelled to make financial contributions ranging from N100,000 for House of Assembly aspirants to N750,000 for governorship aspirants during a fundraising exercise organised by the state leadership.
He said the development undermined the party's commitment to transparency and accountability.
Also speaking, the former State Secretary, Barrister Chinedu Adum, alleged that the National Working Committee (NWC) failed to address repeated complaints about the management of the party in Ebonyi State.
He claimed that foundation members of the party were denied opportunities to contest elective positions despite their contributions to building the party.
Adum further alleged that aspirants who had purchased nomination and expression of interest forms were later directed to make additional payments before participating in the screening process.
According to him, Senate aspirants were allegedly required to pay N20 million, while House of Representatives aspirants paid N10 million.
He claimed that several aspirants who complied with the directives were eventually excluded from the process.
"The leadership failed to respond to our petitions and ignored calls to restore peace in the party. We can no longer continue in a system that lacks transparency and internal democracy," he said.
Adum also expressed concern over what he described as the growing influence of powerful interests within the party, warning that the development could undermine the aspirations of the party's presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi.
He further alleged that the state chapter had passed a vote of no confidence on the State Chairman, Prince Alum Udensi Enyinnaya, accusing him of compromising the primary process.
The former secretary said efforts by aggrieved members to reconcile differences within the party yielded no results.
In his remarks, the former Youth Leader, Anthony Nwofe, described the primaries conducted by the party in Ebonyi State as among the worst he had witnessed.
He alleged that petitions submitted by aggrieved members to the national leadership were ignored.
"The activities of the party no longer align with my ideals. The primaries were neither free nor fair and did not reflect the aspirations of members seeking a new Nigeria," Nwofe said.
On his part, the former Welfare Officer, Ajah, confirmed his resignation from both his position and the party.
He cited dissatisfaction with the current direction of the party and what he described as attempts by some individuals to hijack its structures.
"I have resigned from the party because the current leadership style is not in line with the principles we subscribed to," he said.
Efforts to obtain a response from the Ebonyi State leadership of the NDC were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
The party's State Chairman, Prince Alum Udensi Enyinnaya could not be reached for comments on the allegations levelled against him by the former officials.
Similarly, there was no immediate reaction from the National Working Committee of the party as many of the state executive officers and members were reportedly to have tendered their resignation letters.
