A fresh crisis appears to be brewing within the Enugu State chapter of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) after a party chieftain, Chief Sylvester Ugochinyere Eze, accused the party’s presumed governorship aspirant, Sir Chinyeaka Ohaa, of abandoning the party’s candidate in last Saturday’s Enugu North Senatorial District bye-election.
Eze alleged that Ohaa and other influential figures in the party failed to support the NDC candidate, Bishop Oscar Okwudili Ossai, during the June 20 poll, a development he said weakened the party’s chances in the contest and exposed deep divisions within its ranks.
In a statement made available to SaharaReporters on Thursday, Eze claimed that while the bye-election was marred by irregularities and could hardly be regarded as credible, the NDC candidate was also disadvantaged by the lack of backing from key party stakeholders.
“Although what happened on June 20 did not qualify to be described as an election, the NDC candidate could still have lost in a free and fair contest because he received little support from his party leaders,” Eze said.
He specifically accused Ohaa of staying away from campaign activities in Nsukka zone despite being one of the party’s leading figures in the state.
