Chief Okey Nwoke is a stakeholder and prominent member of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC). In this telephone interview in Abuja with our anchorman, Hyacinth Eku, he accuses party leaders of exposing corruption through the recently conducted primaries and warns that the party is “going nowhere” if current practices continue. Excerpts.
Chief Nwoke, you’ve been vocal about the NDC primaries. What exactly went wrong?
The primaries conducted by the NDC have exposed the corruption in party leadership. The primaries held on 28 and 29 May, 2026 have exposed the fallacy of this quest for a better Nigeria. I have not seen anything toward that direction, with the flawed primaries. It is unfortunate.
You made specific allegations about candidate imposition in the FCT. Can you elaborate?
Uchenna Harris Okonkwor, who aspired for House of Reps in Anambra and failed, was allegedly brought to the FCT by Obi, who is planning to give him ticket for AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency. He isn’t a registered member of the party in the FCT. Although they haven’t announced it, feelers from inside reliably informed us that it is the new submission Peter Obi made.
Why do you consider this imposition a problem?
Why Peter Obi has continued to bring and impose people on FCT residents defeats my imagination. He lives in Onitsha and doesn’t know the terrain here. Let him allow us in the FCT, because it is the one who wears the shoe that knows where it is paining him. Some of the meddlesome men will not grant him victory.
You referenced past examples of imposed candidates. What happened then?
During the area council election in the FCT, he brought Dr Mo to contest for AMAC chairmanship under the platform of the ADC. He failed, because he didn’t know the terrain. When he ran for presidency under the Labour Party, he didn’t impose candidates on FCT residents and everyone did well.
Have you verified the registration status of the candidate brought from Anambra?
I am still wondering in which ward in the FCT the man he brought from Anambra has transferred his registration to. We need to go to INEC to find out the ward in the FCT he registered or transferred to from Anambra. Even Peter Obi, I am still investigating, because I don’t believe that he should put hands in such ugly practice.
You also mentioned another candidate, “Grima.” What was that about? The other time, it was rumored, but it was credible information, because we were reliably informed that they brought one Grima to take the AMAC/Bwari ticket and that one didn’t work out. Now they had to go across the FCT to bring somebody from Anambra State to impose on the good people of AMAC/Bwari. It doesn’t work like that. Nobody moves from the FCT to go to Anambra State and impose candidates on the people there.
Peter Obi has threatened to abandon the NDC over alleged corruption. What’s your take?
This is because of some of his actions. It is because of the impunity in the system, which he is tolerating, he knows that he won’t be there. If he will be there and impunity and imposition is going on and he knows that money changes hands there, it is unfortunate, and means that we will not give Nigerians the leadership they deserve.
Do you think his exit would hurt the party?
f he leaves NDC, which means his going into oblivion, because he may have realized that people have found out that he is also dubious.
You described NDC as “old wine in a new bottle”. What did you mean?
It defeats my imagination that a fresh party like the NDC, fresh in the sense that it is a newly registered political party, not fresh in character, because most of the sponsors are the same people. You can liken them to the old wine in a new bottle. We thought sanity would prevail, that they would no longer be as commercial as they used to be. But behold, the flawed primaries exposed us.
You alleged government involvement in NDC’s registration. On what basis?
This primaries has exposed many things. The NDC existed by court order from Kogi State, and INEC didn’t appeal it, and that is why you should know that the government has a hand in it.
What is your assessment of Senator Seriake Dickson’s role in the party?
He is as corrupt as the others. He was brought into the system by the then President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife. After eight years as a governor, he is in the Senate now, and he is a true ally of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. They used this party to entrap Peter Obi and Peter Obi himself has shown it that he isn’t a saint.
What should happen next for the NDC to regain credibility?
With the way things are going, the party is going nowhere. If we want to give Nigerians the leadership they deserve and have been yearning for, then imposition must stop, due process must be followed, and INEC must investigate candidate registrations. Otherwise, the public will continue to see us as just another commercial party.
