By Frank Ulom
Ken Egbas, a candidate in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) primary election for the Obubra/Etung Federal Constituency, has accused his rival of attempting to fraudulently alter the outcome of the party’s primary election held on May 29, 2026.
In a statement issued on Friday, Egbas claimed he emerged winner of the primary after securing the highest number of valid votes cast and was duly declared the party’s candidate for the constituency.
According to him, official result sheets generated by the party’s electoral committee and retained by its members all reflected his victory.
Egbas stated that the party’s national secretariat subsequently directed candidates from non-consensus constituencies to collect their nomination forms in Abuja, adding that he received his nomination form on June 10.
He further alleged that the person he contested election with was denied access to the nomination form by party officials because his credentials did not correspond with those of the officially recognised winner.
Egbas accused his opponent of orchestrating an illegal substitution of his name on the party’s candidate list through financial inducement.
He alleged the admittance of the payment of ₦5 million into a Zenith Bank account belonging to a party official to facilitate the replacement of his name as the recognised winner.
Egbas said he petitioned the party leadership in Abuja after discovering what he described as a fraudulent alteration of the candidate list.
According to him, the party’s National Leader, Seriake Dickson, directed party executives to reverse the alleged substitution and restore the name of the rightful winner.
Egbas also raised concerns about the conduct of the primary election in Etung Local Government Area, alleging that electoral materials meant for the council were hijacked on election day.
He claimed that the incident left returning officers appointed by the electoral committee unable to perform their duties and prompted the committee secretary to order the cancellation of the Etung results.
Egbas maintained that any attempt to reinstate the cancelled results would be unlawful, insisting that he remained the overall winner of the primary election regardless of the disputed votes.
“The mandate you freely and lawfully conferred upon me on May 29, 2026, remains intact,” Egbas said.
He added that his team would pursue both legal and internal party measures to challenge any attempt to overturn the outcome of the primary election.
“The truth cannot be substituted. The mandate will be defended,” he stated.
As of the time of filing this report, the said rival had not publicly responded to the allegations, while the NDC had yet to issue an official statement on the claims.
