634 votes vs 6 votes: NDC must answer for Alimosho primary theft

Yesterday, a coalition called Voice of Alimosho stood before journalists in Idimu, Ikotun, Lagos, and dropped a question that should embarrass every party leader in this country: How does a candidate who polled 634 votes in a House of Representatives primary lose his mandate to another aspirant who scored just six? The group alleges that the National Democratic Congress replaced the certified winner, Hon. Ife Salako, without any explanation. Six votes. Not sixty. Six.

Umunakwe Princess, who addressed the briefing on behalf of the group, did not mince words. She said, "We want to bring national attention to what is happening with the Alimosho Federal Constituency NDC candidacy, where we believe the mandate freely given to Hon. Ife Salako is being taken away from him." The group insists this is not about personalities or personal hatred. They quoted the 1999 Constitution, Section 40, and reminded us that a primary election should mean something. They even appealed to Peter Obi, quoting his own 2023 words that "our votes must count in order for Nigeria's democracy to flourish," and asked whether that principle should not apply inside the party too.

What strikes me is the pattern. We shout about rigged general elections, but when parties themselves overturn the will of their own members, we stay quiet. The group also called on Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, the NDC National Leader, to intervene, reminding him of his past opposition to candidate imposition. If Salako truly funded the party secretariat, supported polling unit mobilisation, and gave scholarships to Alimosho residents, then replacing him with a six-vote aspirant is not just an insult to him. It is a slap on every grassroots supporter who believed their vote carried weight. So I ask you: if 634 votes can be thrown away like this, what exactly are we fighting for in 2027?