BENIN CITY — Hon. Ehiozuwa Agbonayinwa, a frontline senatorial aspirant for Edo South, has openly expressed deep regret over his defection to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), describing the move as jumping from the “frying pan straight into hell fire.”
Agbonayinwa, a former member of the House of Representatives, leveled severe allegations against the leadership of the newly formed political party, accusing them of gross lack of transparency and betrayal.
Speaking during a live broadcast on Arise News’ News Day program, the visibly displeased politician criticized the party’s handling of its internal democratic processes, drawing sharp comparisons to his time with the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Delayed Primary Results Raise Eyebrows
According to Agbonayinwa, the NDC Edo South senatorial primary election was conducted on May 29 after contestants failed to reach a consensus. However, despite the passage of a full week, the leadership of the party has allegedly refused to officially declare the winner of the contest.
“We went through rigorous processes,” Agbonayinwa stated. “I understand that they are new, but I have never experienced this being with APC or being with PDP. Never. Where people were asked to go for primary… May 29 was the day the primary was conducted today is June 5 and elections have not been announced.”
The aspirant firmly asserted that he won the primary election cleanly and accused certain elements within the party of trying to manipulate the outcome and deny him his rightful slot on the ballot.
The Dickson Connection and Allegations of Betrayal
A central pillar of Agbonayinwa’s grievance rests on his relationship with the national leader of the NDC and former Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Seriake Dickson.
Agbonayinwa revealed that he originally intended to run for a seat in the House of Representatives. However, he claimed he was personally persuaded by Senator Dickson to upgrade his ambition to the Senate under the banner of the NDC.
Recounting the interaction, Agbonayinwa said: “The national leader of NDC, Senator Seriake Dickson, a very good friend and a brother to me for many years… He was the governor, now senator, a brother I respect dearly. When we were to leave [our former party], I called him. He said I should come to his house.”
“I went to his house and he said, ‘Why can’t you go to the Senate under NDC?’ I said I will think about it. For me, I was going for the House of Reps, but when he offered that, I started thinking. I said I will consult with my leaders, which I did, and I told him thank you.”
The relationship turned sour during a meeting where the national leader allegedly denied making any such recommendation.
“To my greatest surprise, 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,” Agbonayinwa added.
Growing Tensions Within the NDC
The public outburst from a high-profile defector like Agbonayinwa highlights a brewing internal crisis within the NDC as it seeks to position itself against Nigeria’s established political giants.
As of the time of filing this report, neither Senator Seriake Dickson nor the national working committee of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has issued an official response to Agbonayinwa’s heavy allegations.
