The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Enugu State Chapter, has announced its decision to boycott the forthcoming Enugu State Local Government Elections, alleging that the Enugu State Government and the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC) have deliberately failed to create the conditions necessary for the party’s participation in the electoral process.
The party said the decision followed what it described as repeated and unsuccessful efforts to engage ENSIEC and the state authorities over what it considers the denial of basic electoral rights and access to information and materials required for participation in the September 26, 2026, local government election.
Speaking on the development, the NDC Enugu State Secretary, Hon. Nebo Chukwujekwu Emmanuel, said the party had made several attempts to formally communicate with ENSIEC and resolve the matter through dialogue.
According to him, the NDC National Secretariat also formally wrote to ENSIEC to introduce the constituted Enugu State Executive Committee of the party, but the Commission allegedly failed to acknowledge the communication or engage the state leadership. Nebo said the party went as far as using courier services to ensure that its correspondence reached the Commission.
“We even used courier services, UPS, to send them a letter. Instead, they opened the letter and returned it after reading it. They refused to acknowledge it”, he stated.
He said the alleged refusal to acknowledge the party’s correspondence was followed by what the NDC described as continued exclusion from the electoral preparation process.
According to the State Secretary, ENSIEC, allegedly in collaboration with the Enugu State Government, failed to provide the party with electoral materials or communicate with it regarding arrangements and preparations for the election.
He said the situation left the party with no reasonable assurance that it would be allowed to participate in the election on equal terms with other political parties. “ENSIEC, in collaboration with the state government, refused to hand over electoral materials to us or even communicate with us on any preparation regarding the election,” Nebo stated..
The NDC Secretary explained that the party had initially sought to resolve the matter through formal correspondence and engagement rather than immediately resorting to a boycott.
He said several letters were written to ENSIEC, urging the Commission to abide by what the party described as basic democratic principles and established electoral rules. However, according to Nebo, the appeals produced no meaningful response or action from the relevant authorities.
“After several letters written to ENSIEC, calling on the Commission to abide by simple democratic principles and the laid-down rules, the Enugu State Government has failed to take even a single step towards ensuring that NDC participates in the election,” he said.
Following the alleged failure of the engagement efforts, Nebo disclosed that the NDC Enugu State leadership convened an emergency meeting at the instance of the State Chairman, Engr. Ibuchukwu Obeta, to deliberate on the party’s position.
He said the State Executive Committee, after considering the circumstances surrounding the election and what it described as the continued denial of the party’s participation, resolved to boycott the poll.
“After an emergency meeting of the State Executive Committee of the NDC, as called by our Chairman, Engr. Ibuchukwu Obeta, the NDC Enugu State has decided to boycott the election,” he declared.
The NDC Deputy National Legal Adviser handling the matter, Barrister Chukwudi Igwe, said, “Every effort made to seek justice for the party was unsuccessful.” It is also very obvious that the court does not want to hear us, because the Judge mentioned that he does not want to delve into the matter. In these circumstances, the best option would have been the vacation court, because if we allow the regular court to hear the matter, by the time the court rules on it, the election would be over. This means that our right to be heard is being denied.
“Even the ENSIEC, which we sued, has refused to make any appearance, an indication that there is a collaboration between ENSIEC and state government”
The party said its decision was not taken lightly but became necessary after what it described as repeated attempts to secure fair treatment and meaningful participation had allegedly failed. Nebo questioned why, despite the party’s efforts to engage the electoral commission, the NDC was allegedly being shut out of the electoral process.
“It is becoming obvious that the Enugu State Government is afraid of its own shadow. Why are they afraid of NDC? Why don’t they want NDC to participate in the election?” he asked.
The NDC Secretary further alleged that the development could be connected to concerns within the political establishment about the party’s growing strength and the possibility of an unfavourable electoral outcome. He said, “They know or have sensed the embarrassing defeat coming.”
The NDC maintained that its position was not about personalities or political confrontation, but about the fundamental right of a political party and its candidates to participate in an electoral process under fair, transparent and equal conditions.
The party argued that an election cannot credibly be described as inclusive if a duly organised political party is allegedly denied access to essential electoral materials and excluded from communication concerning preparations for the poll.
The NDC, therefore, called on Nigerians, civil society organisations, the media, democratic institutions and all lovers of democracy to take note of the circumstances leading to its decision.
It warned that political participation should not be reduced to merely appearing on an election-day ballot while parties are allegedly denied the basic conditions required to effectively participate in the process.
The party reaffirmed its commitment to democracy, the rule of law, political equality and peaceful democratic engagement, insisting that it would not compromise what it considers its constitutional and democratic rights simply for the sake of participating in an electoral process it believes does not provide a level playing field.
Until those concerns are satisfactorily resolved, the party said it would not participate in the forthcoming Enugu State Local Government Elections scheduled for September 26, 2026.
