The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) have disagreed over the party membership of former Abia Central Senator, Nkechi Nwaogu, ahead of the 2027 general election.

Nwaogu, who represented Abia Central Senatorial District from 2007 to 2015 under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), later joined the APC before moving to the NDC.

The NDC has recognised her as its candidate for Abia Central, while the APC maintains that she remains a member of the party.

In a statement issued on Friday, the NDC Publicity Secretary, Emeka Luis Okoro, said Nwaogu’s candidacy remained valid and that she joined the party before the deadline for political parties to submit their digital membership registers to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The party said Nwaogu became a member of the NDC before the May 10 deadline and did not participate in the APC’s 2026 senatorial primary election in Abia State.

It therefore urged its members to disregard information challenging her candidacy and said she remained the party’s candidate for the senatorial district.

However, the APC rejected the NDC’s position.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the party’s Publicity Secretary, Uche Aguoru, said Nwaogu remained a registered member of the APC.

The APC said Nwaogu obtained its Senate nomination form and participated in the party’s senatorial primary held on May 18, 2026. According to the party, she polled 12,033 votes to finish as runner-up in the exercise.

The party also claimed that Nwaogu’s name appeared in the APC membership register submitted to INEC on May 10, 2026, which it identified as the deadline for submission of party registers.

The APC further said it had no record of her resignation and that her membership details remained in both its database and the INEC database.

The party urged the NDC to stop circulating what it described as misleading information concerning Nwaogu’s membership, insisting that her registration and participation records could be verified.

Nwaogu, however, rejected the APC’s claims when contacted, saying she had resigned from the party in early May.

“I don’t belong to APC. I left them a long time ago, in early May. Don’t mind them,” she said.

She also maintained that she completed the required resignation process at her ward level.

“I did. These people are disorganised, disgruntled. You resign at your ward level, not at the state level. And that was what I did. Don’t mind them. They are disgruntled. They know that I am the one to beat. That is why they are claiming me,” Nwaogu said.

She further argued that her absence from the APC primary demonstrated that she was no longer participating in the party.

“When they did their primary, did they see me? I filled their form, did everything. I saw the handwriting just before the primary and I didn’t participate,” she said.

PUNCH had previously reported in May that Nwaogu resigned from the APC and joined the NDC.

Meanwhile, INEC’s final published list for the Senate identifies Nwaogu as the NDC candidate for Abia Central, while Atuma Emeka is listed as the APC candidate.