A crisis is brewing within the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Plateau State following allegations that the party's state chairman, Solomon Yakub, submitted a name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) without due process. The development has sparked controversy, with various stakeholders weighing in on the matter. According to reports, Yakub sent the name of Alfred Damiyal, a defeated governorship aspirant from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial primary, to INEC.
The National Auditor of NDC, Oluwole Adedapo, who was delegated by the party's National Working Committee (NWC) to conduct the substitution primary, declared Da Jonathan Akuns as the winner unopposed. Adedapo explained that Akuns was the only candidate who purchased the expression of interest and nomination forms and was successfully screened. The substitution primary was meant to receive stakeholder affirmation since there was no challenger.
However, Yakub denied any wrongdoing, stating that he was not aware of any contention following the emergence of Akuns as the winner of the Plateau State governorship ticket of NDC. He claimed that INEC monitored the exercise and compiled their report. The conflicting claims have raised concerns about the legitimacy of the primary process.
Adedapo revealed that on the eve of the substitution primary, some persons claiming to be operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) stormed the venue, urging him to follow them to their office. The party faithful present refused the invitation, citing that it was a political family meeting and not an illegal assembly.
A stakeholder, Abdullahi Iliya, alleged that Yakub held a parallel substitution primary with NDC chairmen of seven local government areas and sent Damiyal's name to INEC. Iliya noted that Yakub passed the report of his parallel exercise through the Plateau State office of the Election and Party Monitoring (EPM) unit for onward transmission to the INEC headquarters.
The NDC National Secretary, Ikenna Enekweizu, stated that the party had forwarded Akuns' name to INEC as its nominee for the Plateau State governorship 2027 poll. He emphasized that it would be strange for INEC to accept any communication not endorsed by the national chairman and secretary, stressing that only the national leadership of a political party should organize party primaries and forward nominated candidates to INEC.
The crisis within the NDC highlights the challenges faced by political parties in Nigeria in ensuring due process and transparency in their internal processes. The party's ability to resolve the issue amicably and in line with electoral regulations will be crucial in determining the legitimacy of its candidate for the 2027 Plateau State governorship election.
Key points
- NDC faces crisis in Plateau State over alleged irregularities in governorship substitution primary.
- Party's state chairman accused of submitting name to INEC without due process.
- National leadership of NDC insists that only they can organize party primaries and forward nominated candidates to INEC.
