NDC Faces Turmoil as Primary Election Disputes Fracture the Party

The National Democratic Congress, NDC, is currently battling growing internal tensions.

The development followed the party’s nationwide primary elections held on May 29 ahead of the 2027 general elections, with disputes over candidates selection, delayed release of results, and allegations of manipulation threatening to overshadow the party’s rapid rise as a major opposition force.

Recall that one week after the primaries, the party’s National Executive Committee announced that it had ratified and endorsed the outcome of the exercise.

However, DAILY POST reports that the official results have yet to be released, fueling speculation, mistrust, and open disagreements among party stakeholders across the country.

At the centre of the crisis is Kano State, where members of the ‘Kwankwasiya Movement’ and legacy NDC officials have clashed over allegations that supporters of former Kano State Governor and NDC vice-presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, dominated the nomination process.

The dispute intensified after an unofficial list of purported candidates circulated on social media, prompting concerns among party members who accused influential figures of attempting to influence the outcome of the primaries.

Also, in the South-East, members of the ‘Obidient Movement are grumbling over what they described as maltreatment of aspirants.

Aspirants alleged they were deceived into paying millions of Naira contrary to the directive of the leadership of the NDC.

No list of candidates yet – Party insists

In response to the growing discontent in the party, NDC insisted that it had not released any official results of its primary elections in Kano State or any other part of the country.

In a statement issued by the party’s spokesperson, Osas Director, the NDC urged members and the public to disregard any purported list of candidates currently in circulation.

The clarification came after a closed-door reconciliation meeting involving leaders of the Kwankwasiya Movement and long-standing NDC officials in Kano State.

According to Director, the meeting was facilitated by the party’s National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, and other members of the national leadership as part of efforts to strengthen inclusion and maintain internal democracy.

“The NDC leadership will not impose candidates in Kano State or anywhere in the country,” Director said, adding that the party remained committed to transparent and democratic processes.

He described the discussions as productive and expressed confidence that the issues would be resolved through dialogue.

Kwankwaso reportedly threatens to leave NDC

Reports indicate that Kwankwaso has threatened to leave the party amid accusations by senior NDC officials that he is attempting to take full control of the party’s structure in Kano State.

According to party sources, a power-sharing arrangement brokered by Dickson when Kwankwaso joined the NDC allocated 60 per cent of the party structure in Kano to the Kwankwasiya Movement and 40 per cent to the existing party leadership.

However, state party leaders alleged that the agreement was abandoned once the nomination process commenced.

NDC North-West Vice Chairman, Mohammed Rabiu Serina, and Kano State Chairman, Hussaini Isa Mariga, claimed that nomination forms for key elective positions were allegedly distributed exclusively among Kwankwaso’s loyalists, leaving many longstanding party members sidelined.

The disagreement escalated after the Kano leadership reportedly replaced several candidates nominated by the Kwankwasiya Movement and submitted a revised list to the national leadership.

Kwankwaso is said to have rejected the changes, insisting on the original nominations and warning that he could quit the party if the revised list is upheld.

Enugu youths storm NDC headquarters, warn against imposition

A group under the aegis of Concerned Youths of Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu state has staged a peaceful protest at the headquarters of the National Democratic Coalition, NDC, demanding transparency and fairness in the party’s candidate selection process ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The protesters, carrying placards with various inscriptions, urged the party leadership to ensure that only credible, competent and widely accepted candidates emerge to represent the party in future elections.

Speaking during the protest, the convener of the group, Ejiribeofor Omeke, said the demonstration was aimed at protecting the interests of both the party and the people of Nsukka.

“We are calling on the NDC leadership to be straightforward and transparent in selecting candidates. Once candidates are imposed, it often leads to failure. The people of Nsukka want candidates who are grounded, widely accepted and capable of defending their interests.

“Our protest is in the interest of the NDC in Nsukka Local Government. We are passionate supporters of the party in Nsukka,” Omeke said.

Stakeholders demand transparency

A group of NDC stakeholders led by co-convener, Uche Uzomba has demanded an explanation from the party’s leadership regarding the prolonged silence over the outcome of the primaries.

Addressing journalists, the group said the NDC must uphold the principles of transparency, accountability, and internal democracy that it has consistently championed.

They warned that prolonged uncertainty could damage public confidence in the party and undermine its credibility as an alternative political platform.

“As a relatively new political party seeking to establish itself as a credible alternative, the NDC must remain committed to the values of transparency, accountability and internal democracy that it has consistently promoted,” the group stated.

We have failed as a party – NDC official

A senior NDC official from the South-East, who spoke to DAILY POST on condition of anonymity, alleged that powerful interests within the party were attempting to alter the outcome of the primaries.

According to the official, candidates had emerged from the exercise in several states, but efforts were underway to replace some of the winners through what he described as a “selection committee” process.

He argued that allowing aspirants to contest in primaries only for party leaders to subsequently determine candidates behind closed doors amounted to a betrayal of the democratic process.

The official warned that any attempt to substitute candidates who genuinely won the primaries could trigger legal battles and deepen divisions within the party.

He further cautioned that the controversy could seriously damage the NDC’s reputation, especially among Nigerians who had expected the party to distinguish itself from the practices it had long criticised in other political parties.

“After people have done primary and winners emerged, you will now go and sit in a room, what you call the selection committee, to begin to select people you now declare as candidates. That is what is going on, and which, if care is not taken, it is going to backfire.

“So it’s going to back fire at the end of the day. The matter is going to end up in court as a reality.

“Well, the reality is that the party, if care is not taken, the handling of this primary election will destroy NDC. It’s painfully so because you told people to come out for primary elections, and people came out, and, like I said, some of the places winners emerged. Then, at the end of the day, if you announce names that are different from those people who emerged from the field, of course, it’s going to set the stage for the destruction of the party. That’s the truth.

“It is unfortunate because people expected NDC to actually set an example. At the end of the day, it is ending up with the same kind of brigandage witnessed when other parties did their primaries,” he said.

Peter Obi, ex-ally Kenneth Okonkwo trade words

The primary election controversy has also sparked a public confrontation between NDC presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi and his former ally, Kenneth Okonkwo.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television on Tuesday, Okonkwo alleged that Obi and some South-East leaders of the party were involved in collecting money from aspirants seeking elective positions.

The former Labour Party spokesman claimed that an aspirant from Anambra State had provided him with information and documents suggesting that the nomination process was manipulated.

Okonkwo further alleged that candidate selections were predetermined and that some aspirants were misled into believing they would secure tickets through a transparent process.

“Remember that Dickson came out and said once you pay for your expression of interest form, you are not going to pay any money, when you are the one who is nominated, that is when you will pay nomination fees.

“All of them ran into it then Peter Obi and leaders of the South East, NDC caucus, went and told them that after paying for the expression of interest forms, you must pay N10 million bribe for Reps and Senate, N20 million.

“When all of them paid, thinking they were the candidates, they were told to go for the primary. While they were doing the primaries, Peter Obi was in the John Wood hotel writing names of candidates.

“The aspirant sent me the receipt of the money,” Okonkwo alleged.

The allegations have added another layer of controversy to the party’s ongoing internal crisis.

Peter Obi sues Okonkwo

Obi has strongly denied the allegations and has taken legal action against Okonkwo.

In a suit filed through his counsel, Chief Alex Ejesieme (SAN), the former Anambra State governor described the claims as false, malicious, and damaging to his reputation.

The legal action specifically challenges allegations that Obi and South-East NDC leaders demanded money from aspirants, manipulated candidate lists, and engaged in other unethical conduct.

Obi’s legal team insists that the accusations are entirely fabricated and has demanded appropriate legal remedies.

NDC primary fallout: What I discussed with Kwankwaso – Dickson

Amid the growing crisis, Seriake Dickson has sought to reassure party members that efforts are underway to preserve unity.

Following a meeting with Kwankwaso and senior NDC officials, the former Bayelsa State governor said discussions focused on resolving disagreements within the Kano chapter and strengthening cooperation among different factions.

Dickson acknowledged that rapid growth often brings internal challenges but maintained that such issues could be addressed through consultation, dialogue, and reconciliation.

He also emphasised the importance of both the Kwankwasiya Movement and the Obidient Movement to the party’s future.

According to him, plans are already in motion to formally integrate members of both support groups into the party’s structures across the country.

Dickson expressed optimism that ongoing engagements would strengthen the NDC ahead of the 2027 elections.

“The Kwankwasiyya Movement, the Obidient Movement and other support groups remain valuable mobilization networks.

“I had earlier received a courtesy delegation some weeks ago by the Obidient Movement and promised to ensure their integration into the activities of our party at various levels across the country; and the same for the Kwankwasiyya movement which I have asked for their list of coordinators to be forwarded to the party for the same purpose.

“This process will be undertaken in a structured and orderly manner,” Dickson said.

NDC has a problem – Sam Amadi

Political analyst and Director of the Abuja School of Social Thought and Politics, Sam Amadi, believes the growing crisis reflects deeper structural challenges within the NDC.

Speaking on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Tuesday, Amadi argued that the party had struggled to manage its rapid expansion and the influx of new political actors.

While acknowledging the NDC’s growing popularity, he said the party appeared unprepared for the complexities associated with conducting nationwide primaries.

He cautioned that strategic missteps and unresolved internal disputes could weaken the party’s momentum at a time when it should be consolidating support ahead of the next general election.

He said, “I would say it’s a case of when things change they remain the same. I mean, the story around these parties are just not new parties in terms of new ideas, new values, new vision. Whether NDC or ADC, the same transaction that characterised politics, the same lack of coherence.

“And then I think the NDC has a problem. The problem is that Seriake Dickson is a very strong character, which is a good thing but which could be bad in politics, when you need flexibility around strategy.

“So there’s also a sense in which I think they got overwhelmed by the influx, arguably the fastest growing party today.

They didn’t quite have a strategy of how to do their own primaries.

“People say it’s controversial when I said the ADC had the best primary in terms of structure and opposition. Even though, in my view, all the primaries fall far short of democratic requirements, but in terms of structure and process.

“NDC didn’t have that, arguably, because they didn’t have the corporation properly set up.

“Now, the ‘Obedients’ is something that people don’t understand. In my view, ‘Obidients’ is the main thing that has happened to Nigerian politics in the last 25 years.

“For one reason, a group that was disruptive. People look at ‘Obedients’ and look at their obnoxious character but the key thing is that they are challenging Nigerian politics in its status quo.

“So for NDC to create the impression that ‘Obedients’ is a problem is like, I said, shooting themselves. These are the people you need to unleash because their focus should be winning back.

“Dickson has a threshold of leading a party that could win an election or end up being a strong guy who basically pulls his domain but loses the bigger game. So I think that strategic lack of vision is what NDC is suffering from.”

Growing party must have challenges – Tanko

Speaking to DAILY POST in an interview, the National Director of Obidients’ Movement, Yunusa Tanko, said the challenges in the NDC were expected as a growing party.

Tanko, who further declined to comment on the outcome of the NDC primaries, directed our reporter to the publicity secretary of NDC, Osas Director.

“I’m not a party official. So I may not be able to comment on anything that has to do with the party.

“It’s a party that we are still building. As a growing party, it’s bound to have challenges,” Tanko said.