A former member of the House of Representatives, Ehiozuwa Agbonayin, has expressed regret over leaving the APC for the opposition Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), describing the move as jumping from the “frying pan” into “hellfire.”
Speaking on Channels Television on Friday, Agbonayin, an aspirant for the Edo South senatorial ticket of the NDC, said he joined the party believing it would offer Nigerians a credible alternative but was disappointed by what he alleged were irregularities during the party’s primary election.
“I had thought NDC was the messiah to redefine and rescue Nigeria. I didn’t know it was leaving the frying pan, and now it ended up in hellfire,” he said.
The former lawmaker accused the party of breaching its own guidelines during the primary, arguing that aspirants failed to reach a consensus despite efforts to persuade them to do so.
“The Electoral Act is very explicit. Either you go by consensus or direct primaries, and we couldn’t reach an agreement,” he said.
Agbonayin alleged that aspirants were confined to a room and pressured to step down for one another before the exercise.
“They kept us in a room with other contestants for us to step down for one another, and we couldn’t do that,” he said.
He further claimed he won the primary but that the result had not 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.
“An election where a returning officer was caught changing results.”
Agbonayin also expressed disappointment with the role allegedly played by Seriake Dickson, whom he described as a longtime friend and political associate.
“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,” he said.
Reflecting on the outcome, Agbonayin said: “I’m weeping and regretting.”
The NDC has maintained that its candidates emerged through consultations, consensus-building and grassroots primaries, and advised aggrieved aspirants to pursue redress through the party’s appeal and reconciliation mechanisms.
