Ifemba Orumba Campaign: Disputed Reps Ticket Still on Course
The Ifemba Orumba Campaign Organization, the campaign structure of Hon. Barr. Uchenna Okonkwo-Okom for the Orumba North/South Federal Constituency seat, has reaffirmed that its principal remains the NDC candidate for the 2027 election and that his candidacy remains undiminished by a rival claim to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) ticket, insisting that the matter will ultimately be resolved in court.
In a statement signed by its Director of Media and Publicity, Mr. Ugo Okafor, and dated 16 September 2026, the group revisited what it described as an “obviously failed attempt” by one Okwudili Ezenwankwor to lay claim to the NDC Orumba North/South ticket.
According to Okafor, Ezenwankwor joined the NDC less than a week before the party’s 29 May 2026 primary, after having already lost out in the primary of his previous party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
The spokesperson argued that, based on this sequence of events, the matter was straightforward: a candidate could not credibly emerge as the flag bearer of a party he had barely joined, particularly after having been rejected in another party’s primary only days earlier.
On that basis, the group contended that any submission of Ezenwankwor’s name to INEC as the NDC candidate “has no basis in law and in fact.”
It further predicted that such a “crooked candidature” would be struck down by “any court of competent jurisdiction.”
To support its position, the campaign organization noted that it had filed a suit at the Federal High Court, Awka, and had also responded to a related suit at the Federal High Court, Abuja, with both cases still pending judgment. Mr. Okafor presented this as evidence of confidence rather than despair, arguing that a party genuinely uncertain about its legal standing would not proactively approach the courts on two separate occasions.
The Ifemba Orumba Campaign Organization also thanked NDC leaders and members across Orumba North and South, as well as other aspirants, political associates, and members of the public in Anambra State, for choosing to stand behind the campaign “morally and materially” throughout the process.
While acknowledging the support, the organization said such a stance was a signal of the grassroots legitimacy of its principal.
Beyond the constituency race, the organization also used the statement to link its local ambitions to the 2027 presidential contest, urging supporters to remain focused on “the emergence of His Excellency, Mr. Peter Obi,” as President.
It pointed to the 2023 election as evidence that the constituency could deliver a full vote haul, pledging that “no single vote” would be lost this time.
