Sam Amadi, Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, says most recently concluded party primary elections across Nigeria were fraudulent. He makes the claim during an interview on Arise Television, describing the process as flawed and arguing that it contributes to wider internal disputes within parties. Amadi says the primaries undermine party leadership by weakening disciplinary systems and party institutional capacity to manage aspirants and members. He also argues that governors and other external influences can shape outcomes, sometimes overriding party rules and candidate performance.
Amadi points to examples to illustrate how zoning arrangements and established expectations are not always reflected in final results. He alleges that some House of Representatives aspirants are favoured through zoning but do not ultimately appear on candidate lists, suggesting manipulation of processes. He also cites Delta State, where he says former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa reportedly displaced Senator Ned Nwoko despite Nwoko’s performance, attributing the shift to structural changes and new entrants crowding out established figures.
His remarks add to wider concerns raised by aspirants across multiple parties about the credibility of primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections.
