Names of some high-profile
senatorial candidates in the January 16, 2027 elections have been omitted by
the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Although the reason for their
omission is unknown, it is strongly believed that it would not be unconnected
with administrative procedure.
The Delta South African Democratic
Congress (NDC) candidate, Dr. Austin Orette, is however not happy and he told
party faithful and journalists who gathered at Ozoro, headquarters of Isoko
North Local Government Area on Thursday in clear terms.
“My concern with INEC is not simply
that my name was omitted from a published candidate list. My concern is how
such an omission could occur and what institutional safeguards exist to prevent
a candidate's democratic rights from being affected by an administrative
failure.”
Orette said he was baffled and felt
sad at the news of the omission.
“My political party submitted my
candidacy. Yet my name was subsequently omitted from the list published by
INEC. That raises legitimate questions. Was my nomination properly received?
Was the information submitted correctly? At what stage did the omission occur?
What verification procedure was applied before the list was published? If the
omission was an administrative error, what mechanism exists for identifying and
correcting it promptly? These questions matter because the Electoral Act
provides a specific framework for candidate nominations and publication.
Section 29 deals with submission of candidate lists, while Section 32 requires
the Commission to publish the names and addresses of candidates standing
nominated. The Act also specifically provides a mechanism for a political party
to notify the Commission if its candidate's name is missing from the published
list.”
He stressed the need for the law and
the established process to be applied correctly.
“INEC's own records demonstrate that
candidate lists can subsequently be amended pursuant to court orders and
corrections. Therefore, my position is straightforward: I am not asking INEC
for a favour. I am asking for the law and the established process to be applied
correctly. If there was an error, it should be identified and corrected through
the proper procedure. If there was no error, INEC should explain clearly why my
name was omitted despite my party's submission. And if anyone interfered
unlawfully with the process, that matter should be investigated by the
appropriate authorities. My grievance is therefore not merely personal. It is
about protecting the integrity of the electoral process for every Nigerian
candidate and voter. Today it may be my name. Tomorrow it could be someone
else. INEC has a constitutional responsibility to organize, undertake and
supervise elections to the Senate and other elective offices. It also has
responsibilities relating to political parties and their operations. That
responsibility demands institutional neutrality. An electoral umpire must not
determine the political outcome. Its responsibility is to administer the rules
so that the people can make the choice. The people of Delta South must
therefore be able to trust that every qualified candidate who has fulfilled the
legal requirements will receive fair treatment. The ballot belongs to the
people. It must never become the property of an institution, a political
godfather or an administrative process.”
The renowned medical doctor noted
with sadness the preservation of opaque procedures.
“Where aspirants pay for nomination
forms, the process must be transparent. Where primaries are conducted, results
must be properly recorded. Where disputes arise, there must be credible
mechanisms for resolution. The controversy surrounding the 2026 NDC primaries
illustrates why internal party democracy matters. Senator Seriake Dickson
publicly acknowledged irregularities surrounding aspects of the exercise and
expressed sympathy to affected aspirants. The lesson is larger than one
political party. A democracy cannot be stronger than the democratic culture of
the organizations competing to control government. We cannot build a new
Nigeria by changing political actors while preserving opaque procedures.”
He reiterated his intentions and
motivation for entering into the political terrain.
“This is where my candidacy must be
different. I am not seeking a seat in the Senate simply to occupy an office or
make speeches. I want to use the Senate to pursue specific institutional
reforms with measurable outcomes. I will support reforms that strengthen the
legal protection of candidates throughout the nomination and publication
process. This should include: A transparent, auditable digital trail from party
nomination to INEC publication, mandatory acknowledgement of candidate
submissions by the electoral commission, a rapid correction mechanism where a
candidate's name is wrongly omitted, clear responsibility for officials who
negligently or unlawfully mishandle candidate information, stronger legal
safeguards against arbitrary alteration or omission of candidates and improved
public access to official nomination records. The objective is simple: No
Nigerian should lose a democratic opportunity because of an unexplained
administrative failure.”
Orette confessed that he had an
enormous task before him.
“I will advocate stronger
legislative scrutiny of electoral administration, including timely reporting on
candidate-list changes, election preparation, procurement, logistics and the
implementation of electoral reforms. Public institutions must be answerable to
the public institutions constitutionally empowered to oversee them. I will
support reforms that strengthen transparency in political-party primaries.
Political parties should maintain verifiable records of nomination fees, accredited
delegates, primary-election procedures, results, appeals and dispute-resolution
processes. Citizens should not have to enter political contests blindly or rely
solely on the goodwill of party officials. Citizens who expose wrongdoing
should not become victims because they spoke up. I will support stronger
statutory protection for whistleblowers and individuals who make good-faith
reports of corruption, electoral malpractice and abuse of public authority.”
He promised stronger legislative
measures against kidnapping, organized criminal networks, illegal arms
trafficking and the financing of criminal enterprises.
“Security policy must also address
the conditions that allow criminality to flourish—including youth unemployment,
institutional weakness, poor intelligence coordination and the lack of economic
opportunity. Delta South contributes enormously to Nigeria's economic life. Our
communities should not remain trapped between enormous natural resources and inadequate
infrastructure. My legislative agenda will focus on better protection and
development of oil-producing communities, environmental remediation, improved
roads and waterways, access to healthcare, youth employment and technical
training, support for small and medium-sized enterprises, transparent
utilisation of development funds and stronger oversight of agencies responsible
for Niger Delta development.”
On the health sector, Orette
promised legislation and budgetary priorities that strengthen primary
healthcare, improve rural medical access, support healthcare workers and expand
emergency medical services.
“As a medical doctor, I understand
that healthcare is not merely a budgetary issue. It is a question of whether
people live or die. Delta South should not require citizens to travel hundreds
of kilometres for basic specialist care.”
He advised politicians not to treat
young people as campaign crowds.
“They are the productive force of
tomorrow. I will support policies that connect young Nigerians to vocational
training, technology, entrepreneurship, agriculture, maritime opportunities and
other sectors capable of creating sustainable employment. A young person with
meaningful economic opportunity is less vulnerable to criminal recruitment and
political manipulation.”
According to Orette, these are not
promises of miracles but legislative priorities.
“The Senate cannot solve every
problem in Nigeria by itself. But a senator can introduce bills, sponsor
amendments, influence appropriations, conduct oversight, demand explanations
from agencies and bring the concerns of constituents directly into national
policy. That is the kind of representation I want to provide. Not
representation by noise, but representation by substance. Not politics as
personal entitlement, but public office as public service. The election before
us is bigger than one candidate. It is about the standard we establish for
representation. I ask the people of Delta South to examine every candidate
carefully. Ask us what we intend to legislate. Ask us how we intend to use
oversight powers. Ask us how we will protect the interests of our communities.
Ask us what we will do about insecurity, unemployment, healthcare,
infrastructure and environmental degradation. Ask us whether we are prepared to
defend the rights of citizens when doing so is politically inconvenient. And
then judge us by our answers.”
He called on the good people of
Delta South to support his senatorial ambition.
“I am offering myself to Delta South
with a clear proposition: Give me the mandate, and I will take the concerns of
our people into the Senate—not as a spectator, but as an active legislator and
advocate for institutional reform and development. Nigeria does not need
another generation of leaders who merely inherit broken systems and learn how
to benefit from them. We need leaders prepared to repair them. We need
institutions that work. We need electoral processes that citizens can trust. We
need political parties that respect their own rules. We need security
institutions capable of protecting communities. We need legislation that
responds to the realities of ordinary Nigerians. And we need representatives
who understand that a Senate seat is not a throne. It is a mandate. The people
of Delta South deserve to know that their senator will be answerable to them.
That is the standard I am setting for myself. I am asking you to join me—not
merely in supporting a candidate, but in demanding a higher standard of
representation. Let us make this election about what we will build, not merely
who will occupy office. Let us demand institutions that work. Let us demand
representation that delivers. Let us demand a Senate agenda that speaks
directly to the realities of Delta South. And let us build a political culture
in which no citizen is too small to matter and no public official is too
powerful to answer legitimate questions. Nigeria has a long way to go. How far?
I do not know. But I know where we must begin. We begin by restoring faith in
the law. We continue by strengthening our institutions. And we move forward by
electing representatives prepared to turn those principles into legislation,
oversight and measurable action. That is the Nigeria I believe in. That is the
Delta South I want to represent. And that is the work I am asking for your
mandate to undertake.”
Orette further spoke on a new
template for national existence
“We have a long way to go. How far?
I do not know. What I know is that the Nigerian system is so deeply weakened
that we must begin to imagine—and deliberately construct—a new template for our
national existence. Our society has become accustomed to a level of impunity
that should trouble every responsible citizen. Too often, people entrusted with
public authority appear to forget that power is a trust and that public office
carries obligations to truth, justice and good conduct. Institutions are
weakened when those who control them begin to believe that they are stronger
than the rules they are supposed to enforce. This mentality, so contrary to the
principles of a civilized society, has become too familiar in Nigeria. We have
created a political culture in which the word of the powerful can sometimes
carry more weight than the law itself. That must change.”
He suggested same legal standards
for everyone.
“In Nigeria, we have witnessed
situations in which powerful individuals appear able to disregard rules while
ordinary citizens bear the full weight of enforcement. A senator assaults a
citizen in a public place—nothing happens. His subordinates assault a
journalist—nothing happens. He returns to the Senate and participates in making
laws against violence. What kind of society are we building when those who make
laws can appear insulated from the standards they impose on others? For Nigeria
to develop, the wealthy and politically influential must be subject to the same
legal standards as everyone else. Privilege must carry responsibility. Office
must carry consequences. Influence must never become immunity. One of Nigeria's
most destructive political habits is the belief that status confers protection
from consequences. The irony is that some people who disregard rules in Nigeria
become extremely respectful of the law when they travel to countries where
institutions are strong enough to enforce it. There, political connections
cannot simply override procedure. There, public office does not automatically
confer immunity. There, the law does not first ask whether a person is a
senator, governor, businessman or ordinary citizen. That is the institutional
culture we must build in Nigeria. A civilized country is not one where powerful
people are worshipped. It is one where institutions are strong enough to
restrain power.”
The Nigerian American family
medicine physician and politician from Owhelogbo in Isoko North Local
Government Area, Delta State recollected the experience of former Senator Ike
Ekweremadu.
“In 2023, a United Kingdom court
convicted Ike Ekweremadu, Beatrice Ekweremadu and Obinna Obeta in connection
with a proposed kidney donation. The case demonstrated that political status
does not automatically place an individual beyond judicial process. Whatever
one's political affiliation or personal view of the case, the institutional
principle is clear: No public office should confer immunity from lawful
process. Nigeria must reach the point where the same principle is
unquestionable here. When powerful people violate rules without consequences,
others learn that rules are negotiable. When corruption is tolerated, it
becomes institutionalized. When institutions lose credibility, citizens lose
confidence. And when citizens lose confidence in lawful institutions, society
becomes increasingly vulnerable to disorder. Our security crisis makes this
particularly urgent. Kidnapping, terrorism and organized criminality have
destroyed lives and communities across Nigeria. Where credible evidence exists
that individuals are sponsoring, financing, protecting or facilitating criminal
activity, the appropriate authorities must investigate and prosecute where the
evidence warrants it. No political position should provide a shield against
legitimate investigation. The objective is not revenge. It is the restoration
of order.”
