"We Must Be Different": NDC National Assembly Aspirant Hon. Benjamin Oyamendan Cautions Leadership Over Delayed Primary Results on Arise News
An aspirant for the Esan North-East/Esan South-East Federal Constituency under the newly registered Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Hon. Benjamin Oyamendan, has called on the party's hierarchy to ensure transparency in its ongoing primary selections. He warned that as a new political movement, the NDC cannot afford to replicate the flawed internal processes of traditional ruling parties.
Speaking on Arise News Night, Oyamendan raised concerns regarding the delay in releasing the party’s official primary candidate lists, urging national leader Senator Henry Seriake Dickson to carefully monitor and scrutinize the outcomes, particularly within Edo State.
The Ekiti Election: Moving Beyond "Planned Ceremonies"
Reflecting on recent off-cycle gubernatorial elections in Ekiti State and widespread allegations of voter card manipulations, Oyamendan lamented that Nigerian primaries and main elections often feel like predetermined events rather than genuine democratic contests.
"The primary itself is like a ceremony that has already been planned," Oyamendan observed. "It's like a prediction—the rain is going to fall and the rain will actually fall, and the incumbent governor has a term and everyone is just waiting for the swearing-in. In developed democracies, simple allegations of uncollected voter cards being handed over to opposition parties are enough to put the process on check. We need to find a way to strengthen democracy."
To challenge this, he emphasized that voter card collection is the ultimate starting point for citizens, urging voters to prioritize individuals over political platforms.
The Stalled NDC Primaries: "We Are the New Bride"
Oyamendan directly addressed the fact that the NDC has yet to submit or publish its finalized legislative list to the public. While recognizing national leader Senator Seriake Dickson's stance that the results will be thoroughly processed and released on national platforms, he insisted that delaying results just because other parties do so defeats the NDC's purpose.
"Most of us as members and aspirants say NDC should be different from other political parties because it is a new bride in town," Oyamendan said. "Being different means doing things totally differently from what we have been seeing from the other commercial political parties. If we cannot do things right when conducting our own primaries, then we lose the moral ground to accuse the ruling parties of not doing things right. The change has to start from the party itself."
"I Am an Asset, Not a Career Politician"
When pushed by the interviewer on what his line of action would be if his name was mysteriously missing from the final list—despite standing as the sole, unopposed aspirant who cleared his constituency's primary stage—Oyamendan stated that his livelihood does not depend on public office.
"I am not a career politician. I am not in politics because of my stomach," Oyamendan asserted. "I have a profession that gives me my daily bread. If the list is released and my name is not there, I am not going to die, and I am not going to start burning bridges. I have friends in APC, PDP, and other platforms. I will support the candidates who win fairly."
He concluded with a stern reminder to the party's screening handlers:
"They should know and do the right thing. If they do otherwise, they should know they have just lost a political party member that would have been an asset to them. I know that if I go to my local government and constituency, the opposition is definitely going to be jittery."
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