By Ekuson Nw’Ogbunka
Abuja
Leaders of Igbo community groups in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have cautioned the National Democratic Congress (NDC), against imposing candidates without grassroots structure, warning that the party risks losing the AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency in the 2027 elections.
Speaking during a press briefing, Chief Barnabas Obidike, representing the Igbo Community Assembly (ICA), said the NDC, as a new party, must avoid the mistakes that have undermined older political platforms in Nigeria. He noted that with AMAC having 12 wards and Bwari 10 wards, the combined AMAC/Bwari constituency has 22 wards and requires a candidate with proven mobilization capacity, not one imposed from outside.
Obidike questioned the political structure of the individual allegedly being fronted by the NDC, identified as Hon. Harris Okonkwor. He asked where Okonkwor’s base is in AMAC/Bwari and contrasted him with NDC leader, Distinguished Senator Seriake Dickson, who, he said, won elections as governor of Rivers State and as senator because of his established structure. “Whose structure is the man going to use in AMAC/Bwari? AMAC/Bwari in the FCT is not his ward,” he stated.
The community leader argued that politics is a “matter of number” and challenged the party to test its candidate’s support publicly. “If you come out to stage a press conference tomorrow… how many people are going to fill a hall? That should show that, yes, you are on ground. This guy you are bringing is not on ground,” he said. He added that APC, ADC, PDP and PRP are all contesting for the seat, and the only person who can challenge APC favourably in AMAC/Bwari is Hon. Chinedu Obika.
He also referenced Senator Dickson’s earlier public comment that he would not mind if the NDC lost the FCT seat. Obidike warned that such an attitude is dangerous in the nation’s capital. “This is FCT, the seat of power. Any president that lost FCT in the general election has lost it all, and this is a great opportunity that NDC has to win FCT,” he said, noting that the territory has six area councils.
Similarly, Chief Onokwuru Nnamdi Paul of the ICA, Bwari Area Council, urged the NDC not to emulate the practices that have contributed to Nigeria’s current political challenges. He said as a new political party, the NDC should introduce positive innovation by giving the ticket to Hon. Chinedu Obika, who, according to him, already has the mandate of AMAC/Bwari constituents.
Onokwuru however spoke at length on the need to act before the situation escalates, stressing that the Igbo community does not want the NDC to lose AMAC/Bwari. He was joined by the Chairman of the organization, Dr. Maxwell Igbokwe, and the Public Relations Officer, Chief Okey Nwoke, who both emphasized that doing the needful would benefit both the party and the country ahead of 2027.
The leaders concluded by warning that failure to field a credible, ground-ready candidate could trigger a protest vote in 2027. “If they want to avoid protest vote, they should be believed for what they’re supposed to do. If they fail to be believed, let them expect in 2027,” Obidike said.
