…Petitions appeal c’ttee, demands justice

By Steve Oko

UMUAHIA — An aspirant of the National Democratic Congress, NDC, for Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency, Abia State, Mrs Nkasiobi Madumere, has alleged gender discrimination and gross bias against her during the party’s May 29 primary.

She raised the alarm over what she described as “the highest form of discrimination, disenfranchisement and injustice” against her during the exercise.

Madumere, a legal practitioner and the only female aspirant in the race, alleged that she was deliberately sidelined and denied victory despite commanding what she claimed was the largest support base among all contenders.

Addressing newsmen in Umuahia, the visibly emotional lawyer who doubles as the Abia State Coordinator of Village Boys Movement – one of Peter Obi’s major support group – accused some party officials in Abia State of manipulating the process to favour preferred candidates while frustrating her aspiration.

She said the events that unfolded during the May 29 primary shattered her confidence in a process she had entered with hopes of advancing the cause of women, youths and good governance.

“I witnessed in this century the highest form of degradation, discrimination, bias and disenfranchisement,” she declared.

According to her, the primary election was characterized by confusion, late arrival of officials, sudden venue changes, absence of party officials for several hours, and alleged acts aimed at suppressing her overwhelming support.

Madumere said that despite repeated requests, the venue of the primary was not communicated to aspirants until about 1 a.m. on the day of the election.

She further alleged that the venue for Umuahia South was moved from the central area of the local government to Olokoro, a development she claimed was designed to favour one of her opponents.

The aspirant recounted how she mobilised hundreds of supporters from various groups, including members of the Obedient Movement and Village Boy Movement, only for the exercise to suffer repeated delays.

She said party and electoral officials failed to arrive at the designated venues until late in the day, forcing many of her supporters to leave out of frustration.

“I arrived at the venue by 8 a.m. and waited for hours. By the time party officials eventually came around 4:30 p.m., many supporters had gone home after waiting the entire day,” she said.

Madumere alleged that the most painful moment came when the electoral officials commenced counting supporters lined behind aspirants.

According to her, while supporters of six male aspirants were counted and recorded, the officials allegedly abandoned the exercise the moment they reached her queue and noticed her massive supporters.

“They counted all the male aspirants and their supporters. When they got to my line and saw the massive crowd behind me, they turned around and walked away without counting me or my supporters.”

“I protested. I pleaded with them. I demanded that they count my supporters, but they refused. They simply ignored me and moved on.

“That was discrimination in broad daylight. That was disenfranchisement. That was injustice,” she lamented.

Madumere argued that she was the only aspirant physically present throughout the exercise, claiming that some of her rivals were represented by proxies.

She insisted that the refusal to count her supporters was a deliberate move to deny her victory.

“They knew that if they counted my supporters, the result would be overwhelming. They knew I had won. That was why they chose to exclude me”, she claimed.

The NDC stalwart said she had formally petitioned the party’s Appeal Committee and national leadership, demanding an investigation and redress.

She warned that failure to address the alleged injustice could erode public confidence in the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“If a lawyer, a mobiliser and a woman of my standing can be treated this way, what hope is there for the ordinary woman who wants to participate in politics?” she asked.

Madumere maintained that her protest was not about playing the gender card but about defending democratic principles and ensuring that women are not pushed to the margins of political participation.

“I am not playing gender politics. I am speaking out because what happened to me should never happen to any woman again.”

The aspirant also called on the national leadership of the party to closely scrutinise the conduct of the primary elections in Abia State, alleging that internal leadership failures were responsible for the controversies trailing the exercise.

She further alleged that some aspirants who neither physically participated in the primaries nor mobilised visible supporters were being projected as winners.

Madumere who said she is an ardent supporter of Peter Obi and a serious member of the Obidient Movement, lamented that what she saw at the Abia primaries, were at variance with the ideals that Obi stands for.

He said that desperate politicians who failed primaries in other parties and hoping to ride on the back of ‘Obi wave ‘ should not be allowed to taint the NDC.

While noting that official results were yet to be released at the time of her briefing, Madumere insisted that justice must prevail irrespective of the eventual outcome.

“Even if I am eventually declared winner, it does not erase the discrimination and humiliation I suffered.

“I am speaking out because democracy must be protected, women must be encouraged, and the truth must be told.”

She urged party leaders, civil society groups, women organisations and well-meaning Nigerians to intervene and ensure that her complaints are thoroughly investigated.

“This is bigger than i. It is about justice. It is about fairness. It is about protecting the rights of women and preserving the integrity of our democracy,” she said.

When contacted, NDC’s Secretary, Abia State chapter, Hon. Kanu Dike, said he needed to get clearance from the national leadership of the party before he could make any official comment on the matter.

He added that the national leadership was still investigating some of the issues raised during the primaries, and would soon make public its position and the results of the exercise.

“The national body is interpreting some of these grievances arising from the primaries. So, we will need to be patient and allow the national body to finish with their investigations before we can make any official pronouncements.”