Why Peter Obi won’t win a ward in Anambra — NDC chairman reveals

The Chairman of the Nigeria Democratic Congress in Anambra State, David Chukwudifu, speaks with YUSUF OKETOLA about the reported rift between the party’s existing structure and supporters of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi

What exactly is the nature of the disagreement between you and Peter Obi?

I would not call it a disagreement. I would rather describe it as ill-treatment of me and the state executives of the party because Peter Obi and I have never sat down to discuss anything.

Since he joined the party, he has not met with any of the South-East chairmen, particularly me, the state chairman. He has been avoiding me.

Peter Obi joined the party on May 3, 2026, while I held our state congress on May 4. We then attended the National Convention in Abuja on May 9.

After the convention, I stayed back in Abuja and, throughout that period, my state working committee and I made several attempts to reach him, but we could not speak with him.

We sent him WhatsApp messages, some of which I still have as evidence. We also called him, but none of the calls were returned.

I eventually returned to Anambra and waited for him to give me a direction or an appointment so we could meet, but that did not happen.

Instead, we saw another group of people selling nomination forms. One of them was Chris McCool Nwosu, who is from Anambra South.

The information available to me was that they migrated with Peter Obi from the ADC to the NDC. They sold forms, conducted screening, and later held a primary without involving us.

Before that primary, another name emerged, Ikem Uzoezie, a former member of the Anambra State House of Assembly under APGA. He called a meeting of aspirants in Awka.

They have effectively taken over the party and have been carrying out activities without involving the state, local government, and ward structures. We have been left on the sidelines.

We inaugurated our own office because they did not have one. They had been operating from hotels. In fact, people from Labour and APGA are the ones running the affairs of the party, as far as I can see.

When did the problem begin, and what triggered the tension?

I only know Peter Obi as a former governor of Anambra State. I have never met him personally.

After I emerged as state chairman, I granted an interview in which I referred to one of his well-known statements about wanting a Nigeria where the son of nobody could become somebody without knowing anybody.

I said I could testify to that philosophy because I had also risen from nobody to somebody. I was speaking about his philosophy and ideology, not claiming to have a personal relationship with him.

I do not know Peter Obi personally, and he does not know me. I only know him as the former governor whose administration I witnessed.

What has led to our being sidelined, in my view, is the style of operation of Obi and his associates. I believe they did something similar in the PDP, Labour Party and ADC, and have now brought the same approach into the NDC.

Have you personally discussed the matter with Peter Obi?

I met a man who is an ally of Peter Obi. He spoke with Peter on the phone on speaker, and Peter reportedly said he was not going to work with us and that, if I wanted, I could go to court.

However, on June 27, 2026, Peter Obi denied sidelining the party executives when he met one of our local government chairmen along the Benin-Asaba Road.

He said he was not aware of the situation and asked the chairman to liaise with Senator Tony Nwoye.

Tony Nwoye later insisted that the man could not be the party chairman in his local government. Since then, Peter Obi has not reached out to the man or anyone from our camp.

To what extent has the disagreement affected the NDC structure in Anambra?

It has done a lot of damage to the party in Anambra.

People still contact me because they get my number from the party portal and want to know the next steps in our activities, where they can participate, and how they can volunteer.

I keep them waiting while explaining that we are trying to resolve some issues.

The situation has destabilised the NDC in Anambra. At the moment, the party is largely functioning online. Meetings are held online and, from my perspective, there is no effective physical structure on the ground.

Has Peter Obi visited the NDC secretariat in Anambra since becoming the party’s presidential candidate?

He has not.

I do not think he intends to because he could have invited me or called me.

I have spoken with some of his kinsmen, and they have repeatedly assured me that they would speak with him, but nothing has happened.

What steps have you taken to resolve the dispute?

On May 26 and 27, 2026, in line with the provisions of our party constitution, I wrote to the appropriate authorities because you cannot go to court without first exhausting the party’s internal mechanisms, particularly the appeal committee.

The appeal committee comprises the zonal working committee, headed by the National Vice-Chairman, South-East, and the National Working Committee, headed by the National Chairman.

I asked them to intervene on our behalf. I sent the letter by email, text message, and WhatsApp. I also sent it by DHL from Anambra to Abuja and arranged for a physical copy to be delivered to the party secretariat.

I sent copies to the National Chairman and the National Secretary, but we are yet to receive a response.

I learnt that, because of the interests involved, the National Leader, National Secretary and National Chairman have been unable to intervene effectively in the South-East, particularly Anambra, because it is the home state of the presidential candidate.

Can the Anambra NDC present a united structure ahead of 2027?

I do not think we can win any ward in Anambra State, let alone a local government or the state, for Peter Obi if we continue in this direction.

We already know that we are the opposition party in Anambra. APGA has been ruling the state for almost 24 years and has a strong political structure. It will be a major party to contend with in any election.

Considering the issues between our presidential candidate and the state governor, we need to double our efforts, just as we did in 2023. There is a lot of work to be done.

In politics, everyone should be welcome. You do not expel or chase people away because every vote matters. One person can influence several others, particularly within a family.

So, what is the justification for removing 326 ward chairmen, 21 local government chairmen and 29 members of the state working committee?

The implications are significant. Things cannot continue this way.

We cannot achieve anything in Anambra if the party continues on this path.