Oriontimes Political Newsroom| July 27, 2026
Party members petition national leadership, accuse officials of sidelining primary winner and attempting to install aspirant who allegedly did not contest the election.
A fresh crisis has erupted within the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) in Lagos State as members of the party in Oshodi/Isolo Federal Constituency I have publicly rejected what they described as the alleged imposition of Hon. Lukman Alabi as the party's candidate for the 2027 House of Representatives election.
In a petition addressed to the National Chairman of the NDC at the party's national secretariat in Wuse II, Abuja, and copied to the Lagos State Chairman, the aggrieved members alleged that Hon. Lukman Alabi did not participate in the party's primary election but is now being presented as the constituency's candidate.
The petitioners further alleged that the move was orchestrated by Mr. John Oziegbe Ughulu, describing the development as contrary to democratic principles and the party's internal processes.
According to the petition, only three aspirants participated in the NDC primary election for Oshodi/Isolo Federal Constituency I. They listed the contestants as Arc. Akinyemi Akintunde Kazeem, whom they described as the leading candidate, Owadara Muyiwa, and Mustapha Okandeji.
The members claimed that the primary election, held on May 29, 2026, was marred by alleged intimidation, disruption, and attempts to frustrate the electoral process when it became apparent that Arc. Akinyemi Akintunde Kazeem was enjoying widespread support among delegates.
They further alleged that many supporters and voters were disenfranchised, insisting that the outcome of the exercise reflected overwhelming grassroots support for Akinyemi across the five wards of the constituency, including Mafoluku, Orile-Oshodi, Oshodi/Bolade, Sogunle, and Sogunle/Alasia.
The petition also challenged a recent publication attributed to Hon. Lukman Alabi, in which he was reported to have congratulated the NDC's presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi. The aggrieved members described the publication as misleading and maintained that Hon. Alabi was unknown to party members in the constituency and did not participate in the primary election.
To support their claims, the petitioners said they possess over three hours of video recordings documenting the conduct of the primary election and expressed readiness to present the footage as evidence if required.
They urged the NDC National Working Committee to uphold the integrity of the party's primary process by recognizing what they described as the legitimate outcome of the election. They also appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies, members of the press, and the general public to take note of their grievances.
The petition was jointly signed by Comrade Abiola Banatunde, Blessing Folake Segun, Comrade Vivian Arukwe, Toyin Yessuff, and Olachi Angel on behalf of members of the NDC in Oshodi/Isolo Federal Constituency I.
As of the time of filing this report, the NDC national leadership, Mr. John Oziegbe Ughulu, and Hon. Lukman Alabi had not publicly responded to the allegations contained in the petition.
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