By Ozioruva Aliyu

BENIN CITY – COMPLAINTS on Sunday continued to trial the primary election of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) in Edo State as many of the aspirants alleged that the state leadership was trying to skew the process in favour of certain candidates.

In Edo South, former Member of the House of Representatives and the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon Ehiozuwa Agbonayinma alleged over the weekend that were plans to scuttle the process.

Some other members claimed the party changed the venue of the primaries in Benin City three times only for them to be told to go back to their wards and conduct the exercise when they were already gathered in Benin City.

An aspirant for the Etsako West Constituency 1 Seta, Prince Fawaz Muhammad on Sunday expressed concerns over the conduct of the party’s primary election, alleging that the exercise failed to comply with the party’s constitution, electoral guidelines, and the principles of internal democracy.

In a petition addressed to the leadership of the party, and made available to Journalists in Benin, Prince Muhammad alleged that the guidelines governing the nomination of candidates were not followed during the primary election process for the constituency.

According to him, “although party members participated in the primary election for the House of Representatives position, no direct primary election was conducted for aspirants contesting the House of Assembly seat in Etsako West Constituency I.”

Muhammad stated that he purchased the required Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms and participated in the process with the expectation that a direct primary election would be conducted in line with the party’s electoral guidelines and relevant laws.

He alleged that instead of a transparent and democratic exercise, a candidate was purportedly produced through a process that did not involve voting by party members as required under the party’s guidelines.

The former Speaker of the Youth Parliament further claimed that the outcome announced for the constituency did not emerge from a properly conducted primary election, insisting that the process failed to comply with the rules established by the party for the nomination of candidates.

He therefore called on the state and national leadership of the party to review the exercise and ensure strict adherence to the party’s constitution, electoral guidelines, and other applicable regulations.

Efforts to reach the state chairman of the NDC, David Olukoga were not successful as he did not pick repeated calls to his line and did not reply to messages sent to him.