The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate for Surulere I Federal Constituency in Lagos State, Adefolaseye Adebayo, has raised an alarm over an alleged attempt to exclude the party from the 2027 general elections.
Adebayo claimed that some individuals were plotting to ensure that the NDC did not feature on the ballot for the House of Representatives seat.
The candidate, who also serves as the South-West Coordinator of the OK Movement, made the allegation in a video posted on her official X handle on Saturday.
She urged the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to take note of the development and prevent a repeat of what she described as a similar incident involving the Labour Party in 2023.
“I got information that some group of people are planning to make sure that NDC does not appear on the ballot for the Surulere I Federal Constituency.
“I’m calling on the INEC chairman to take note,” she said.
Adebayo alleged that the Labour Party was prevented from appearing on the ballot in the Surulere I House of Representatives election during the last general elections.
She claimed that the party’s candidate at the time worked with those allegedly responsible for the exclusion, adding that no consequences followed the incident.
“They did it during the last federal election for the House of Representatives in Surulere I with the Labour Party, when the person who was the Labour Party candidate colluded with them, and the Labour Party did not appear on the ballot paper,” she said.
According to her, the alleged failure to hold anyone accountable had emboldened those she accused of planning a similar move against the NDC.
“Nothing happened because the candidate was part of the game plan. They got away with it then, and now they want to repeat it again,” she added.
The NDC candidate called on the party’s leadership and Nigerians to monitor the situation and ensure that the party was not excluded from the electoral process.
In a separate development, the NDC in Enugu State has accused Governor Peter Mbah’s administration of adopting a similar approach to clearing outstanding gratuities only after the party’s governorship candidate, Sir Christian Chinyeaka Ohaa, made the issue a campaign priority.
The state government announced plans to settle N32 billion in gratuity arrears owed to retired civil servants following a State Executive Council meeting on Friday.
It said payments would commence in October 2026, with N10 billion to be released in tranches.
However, the NDC questioned the timing of the announcement, claiming it came six days after Ohaa presented a plan to address the same problem.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Hon. Sampson Ukwu, media aide to Ohaa, said the government’s move followed the candidate’s October 10 campaign pledge to introduce a Retirees’ Dignity and Gratuity Recovery Programme.
The proposed programme includes establishing a Gratuity Redemption Fund, setting aside money for retirement liabilities and clearing outstanding gratuities within 24 months.
Ohaa also proposed that retiring workers should receive their gratuities alongside their final salaries.
The party said the government’s announcement was welcome if it would bring relief to retirees but argued that the administration should have addressed the issue earlier.
“Six days later, the same government that left many pensioners waiting for over two decades suddenly announces a similar programme,” the statement said.
The NDC accused the state government of reacting to pressure from the opposition rather than acting proactively to address retirees’ concerns.
It also insisted that Ohaa would pursue his proposed programme if elected governor, describing the welfare of retired civil servants as a priority for his administration.
