Abia APC, NDC Clash Over Nkechi Nwaogu’s Party Membership

The Abia State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) are at odds over the party membership of Senator Nkechi Nwaogu, the NDC's senatorial candidate for Abia Central in the 2027 general election.

Nwaogu, who represented Abia Central Senatorial District from 2007 to 2015 under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), later joined the APC before announcing her movement to the NDC.

The dispute followed separate statements by the NDC and Abia APC over her political status.

The NDC, through its Publicity Secretary, Emeka Luis Okoro, said in a statement on Friday that Nwaogu's candidacy remained valid.

The party said Nwaogu became a member of the NDC before May 10, which it identified as the deadline for political parties to submit their digital membership registers to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the 2027 elections. It also said she did not participate in the APC senatorial primary held in Abia in 2026.

However, the Abia APC rejected the claim and insisted that Nwaogu remained a bona fide member of the party.

In a statement issued by the party's Publicity Secretary, Uche Aguoru, the APC said Nwaogu purchased its Senate nomination form and participated in the party's Abia Central senatorial primary on May 18, 2026.

According to the APC, Nwaogu scored 12,033 votes in the primary and finished as the runner-up. The party said the exercise was conducted under the supervision of Hon. Erasmus Cishark, who served as Returning Officer and Chairman of the APC Senatorial Primary Election Committee.

The APC further said Nwaogu's name was contained in its membership register submitted to INEC on May 10, 2026, and that it had no record of her resignation from the party.

The party maintained that her membership and registration details remained in its records and urged the NDC to stop circulating what it described as misleading information about her political status.

Nwaogu, however, rejected the APC's claim when contacted.

“I don't belong to APC. I left them a long time ago, in early May,” she said.

Asked whether she had formally resigned, Nwaogu said she had done so at her ward level, arguing that resignation from a political party was handled at the ward rather than state level.

She also disputed the APC's account of its senatorial primary, saying she had completed the nomination process but did not participate in the primary.

“When they did their primary, did they see me? I filled their form, did everything. I saw the handwriting just before the primary and I didn't participate,” she said.

The disagreement has raised questions about Nwaogu's membership status and the implications for her candidacy.

However, INEC's published final senatorial list identifies Nwaogu as the NDC candidate for Abia Central, while Atuma Emeka is listed as the APC candidate for the district.

The competing claims over Nwaogu's party membership remain unresolved in the public statements issued by the parties and the candidate.