The Nigeria Democratic Congress has attributed the omission of its Kaduna State governorship candidate, Senator Danjuma La'ah, from the Independent National Electoral Commission's final list of candidates for the 2027 election to discrepancies in the registration of the candidate's name. According to the Kaduna State NDC Chairman, Mordecai Ibrahim, network problems during the online registration process led to several people attempting to register the candidate, resulting in a mix-up.
The final list, signed by INEC Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, contains 16 governorship candidates and their running mates but excludes La'ah. Ibrahim explained that the problem arose from a mix-up of names, stating that the person who registered La'ah made a mistake due to network issues. The chairman assured that the party was working to resolve the discrepancy and establish that the different versions of the name referred to the same person.
Ibrahim expressed confidence that the issue would be resolved, insisting that the party and its candidate were qualified to participate in the 2027 governorship election. He mentioned that the party was trying to confirm that Danjuma Tella La'ah and Danjuma La'ah were the same person. Ibrahim also stated that the party would explore legal options if necessary to secure La'ah's inclusion on the list.
The omission comes amid an earlier disagreement within the NDC over who should fly the party's flag in the Kaduna governorship election. In August, Ibrahim said the party had yet to resolve the contest between La'ah and lawyer Mohammed Sani Abbas. The chairman's comments suggest that the party had not yet finalized its candidate.
Other candidates listed by INEC include Sani Uba of the All Progressives Congress, Isa Ashiru of the African Democratic Congress, and Bawa Usman of the Peoples Democratic Party. The list was released by INEC, but the commission's response to the NDC chairman's explanation was not immediately available.
Ibrahim did not disclose whether the party had formally petitioned INEC over the alleged registration error or initiated legal proceedings to secure La'ah's inclusion on the list. However, he cited a previous election in which a court ordered the inclusion of a candidate on the ballot shortly before the poll.
The NDC's situation highlights the complexities of Nigeria's electoral process, where technical issues and party disputes can affect candidates' participation. The party's ability to resolve the issue and secure La'ah's inclusion on the ballot remains uncertain, as INEC's final list has already been released.
Key points
- The Nigeria Democratic Congress attributes the omission of its Kaduna State governorship candidate to name registration discrepancies.
- The party is working to resolve the issue and establish that different versions of the candidate's name refer to the same person.
- The omission comes amid an earlier disagreement within the NDC over who should be the party's governorship candidate.
