The Secretary of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Enugu State, Dr Sebastine Okafor, has dismissed the lawsuit filed by a factional senatorial aspirant, Bishop Oscar Ossai, as an exercise in futility. Okafor insisted that Ossai cannot challenge a candidacy that was never legitimately produced, describing the legal action as dead on arrival.
Speaking to journalists in Enugu, Okafor stated that no primary election was conducted to produce Ossai as the party’s candidate for the Enugu North Senatorial District. He cited reports from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) confirming that Dr Chika Obetta emerged as the authentic candidate through the recognized process. “You cannot challenge what does not exist,” Okafor said. “There was no primary election that produced Bishop Ossai. INEC reports remain important in establishing what transpired, and democracy must begin from within the political party.”
Okafor further alleged that Ossai was part of a group that previously sidelined the democratically elected state executive led by Dr Johnpaul Anih to serve their political interests. He argued that those who participated in undermining the party’s legitimate structures cannot now seek justice when the same flawed process works against them.
The state secretary also accused the national leadership of the NDC of gradually destroying the party in Enugu State through undemocratic practices, leaving the organization in disarray. “Undemocratic practices can only weaken the party, while party members deserve transparency and fairness. Political ambition must not override due process,” he stated.
Okafor commended the group known as the NDC G80 aggrieved aspirants for aligning with truth and internal democracy. He said their stance demonstrates that some members are willing to uphold principles even when it does not serve their immediate political ambitions.
He stressed that the crisis underscores the urgent need for genuine internal democracy, transparency, and respect for the wishes of party members. Political parties, he noted, can only remain relevant when their internal processes are credible and candidates emerge through properly conducted primaries rather than arbitrary decisions.
Okafor urged party members and supporters to remain calm and committed to the principles of justice and democracy. He called on the party leadership to return to democratic norms, warning that the law cannot validate a process that never occurred. “All these people parading themselves as candidates had no primary election that produced them, which INEC has clarified. So, they cannot claim legitimacy or seek to benefit from a process that never produced them in the first place,” he concluded.
