Ehiozuwa Agbonayinma, a former House member, has publicly expressed deep regret over his decision to abandon the APC for the NDC.
He's now accusing the opposition party of bungling its senatorial primary in Edo State. Agbonayinma had sought the Edo South senatorial ticket.
Appearing on Arise Television, he said the NDC hadn't delivered what he'd hoped for. "I thought NDC was the messiah," he noted.
In his words: "I didn't know it was leaving the frying pan, and now it ended up in hellfire."
According to him, the party violated its own rules during the primary process. He also claimed it breached the Electoral Act.
Agbonayinma revealed that aspirants were first asked to pursue consensus. But they couldn't agree on a single candidate.
"Either you go by consensus or direct primaries, and we couldn't reach an agreement," he stated on the show.
Officials allegedly locked contestants in a room and pressured them repeatedly. Each was urged to withdraw for the others.
"They kept us in a room with other contestants for us to step down for one another," he alleged.
He insisted he won the primary election that took place. Yet the results haven't been officially announced since May 29.
"Where people were asked to go to the primary, I won that primary, and since May 29, the election has not been announced," he said.
Agbonayinma further claimed a returning officer was caught tampering with election results. Such irregularities have destroyed trust in the process entirely.
He expressed particular anger at Seriake Dickson, the NDC national leader. The two men had long been political allies.
According to him, Dickson encouraged him to purchase the nomination form. Later, the NDC chief denied ever making that request.
"The same man who asked me to go and buy the form; this morning we had a meeting, and he said he never said so," Agbonayinma claimed.
His disappointment runs deep. "I'm weeping and regretting," he told journalists.
He now questions why he ever left the ruling party in the first place. The whole experience has left him emotionally shaken.
NDC officials have hit back at these allegations. They insist their nomination processes followed proper consultation methods.
The party says it combined consensus-building with grassroots primaries. All procedures, they maintain, were conducted fairly and transparently.
NDC leadership has urged frustrated aspirants to use internal channels. The party established appeal and reconciliation mechanisms for aggrieved members.
Those unhappy with outcomes can seek redress through these official routes. The party believes this approach will resolve all disputes amicably.
