KEY POINTS

• Umeh, Nwoye and Onunkwo won NDC senatorial tickets in Anambra.
• The party also picked 11 House and 30 Assembly candidates.
• Anambra chair Uzoezie called the primaries peaceful and transparent.

Three Anambra politicians have emerged as the Nigeria Democratic Congress’s senatorial candidates for the 2027 elections, after primaries across the state on Friday. Victor Umeh will fly the party’s flag in Anambra Central, Tony Nwoye in Anambra North and Ebuka Onunkwo in Anambra South. Moreover, the NDC said the polls passed off peacefully across the state.

How the NDC senatorial tickets were decided

The party used the Option A4 method, in which voters line up behind the candidate of their choice. Specifically, the day began with accreditation of registered members and rolled into afternoon voting, drawing what officials called a strong turnout. Therefore, the contest delivered the three NDC senatorial tickets plus 11 nominees for the House of Representatives and 30 for the state House of Assembly.

Each winning senator brings a familiar name. Victor Umeh, a former senator for Anambra Central and onetime national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, returns to the contest. Tony Nwoye, a former member of the House of Representatives and an ex-PDP governorship candidate, will run in Anambra North. Onunkwo, a businessman and party stalwart, will represent Anambra South.

A new party betting on Anambra

The NDC is the rising opposition coalition that drew Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso earlier this month, and it now wants to translate buzz into ballots. Specifically, the party hopes Anambra, a long-time stronghold of regional and Igbo-centric parties, will deliver early proof that the coalition can win seats beyond the presidential race. Additionally, the slate gives the NDC a full ticket across Anambra’s three senatorial zones and lower chambers ahead of the vote.

Anambra State Chairman Ikem Uzoezie credited members for keeping the primaries calm. According to him, the party plans to set a record for the most peaceful, transparent and credible primaries in the state. “We congratulate all aspirants that emerged as candidates and those that could not make it. This was a great show of sportsmanship,” he said.

What the winners are saying

Onunkwo spoke for the winners. Indeed, he said all the candidates shared a commitment to take Anambra “to a higher level,” and praised members for the orderly process. “With the set of candidates in our party for the coming elections, our state is set to experience populist representation that would take our state to a higher level,” he said.

Meanwhile, the line-up sets up a familiar three-way battle in Anambra come 2027. While the ruling APGA and the APC are still expected to field heavyweight contenders, the NDC’s emergence with named senators and a full assembly slate signals that the new coalition intends to compete on the ground, not just at the top of the ticket. Together, the Friday primaries gave the party its strongest Anambra footprint yet, with the three NDC senatorial tickets covering all of the state’s districts.