NDC Senatorial Aspirant Petitions EFCC Over Alleged N20m Payment

A senatorial aspirant of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has submitted a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), alleging fraud, extortion, and criminal conspiracy involving N20 million.

The petition was reportedly received at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, according to details shared by the aspirant.

The development comes after recent public comments by actor and politician Kenneth Okonkwo, who has been in dispute with NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi.

Okonkwo has alleged that the party’s leadership created a system requiring mandatory fees from aspirants.

The NDC has not issued a public response to the latest petition at the time of reporting.

According to the petition and evidence said to have been shared by whistleblower account Pidomnigeria on X, the aspirant first paid N3 million for the party’s official Expression of Interest Form, which the petition says complied with party regulations.

The aspirant alleges that on arrival in Abuja for the mandatory screening, he was asked to sign an undertaking to accept the screening committee’s decisions and not pursue legal action against the NDC.

He says he signed the document, expecting an assessment based on professional background, political experience, grassroots structure, qualifications, and past records.

Instead, the aspirant claims the panel asked for bank statements, details of real estate, vehicles, and investments to verify financial capacity.

He alleges that the committee then provided a First City Monument Bank account number and requested a transfer of N20 million to secure the nomination slot.

According to the petition, the payment was made but communication from the party stopped afterward. The aspirant is now seeking a refund and asking the EFCC to investigate.

The petition also claims the panel questioned him about financial records under the guise of verifying capacity to contest. The account number provided was reportedly without an official receipt, the aspirant alleges.

Okonkwo has made similar public allegations. He previously shared internal messages attributed to House of Representatives aspirant Obunike Ohaegbu, which claimed that the party used parallel state caucus structures to request N10 million from House of Reps aspirants and N20 million from Senate aspirants before candidate lists were compiled at a hotel in Abuja.

As of press time, the NDC leadership, Peter Obi, and the EFCC have not released official statements confirming or denying the allegations. The EFCC typically does not comment on petitions until investigations are concluded.

All allegations remain claims made by the aspirant and other individuals until verified by relevant authorities.