Kaduna NDC Raises Alarm Over Plot To Impose Governorship Candidate

The Kaduna State chapter of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has raised the alarm over an alleged plot to impose a governorship candidate for the party ahead of the 2027 polls.

In a statement issued by the Kaduna State Publicity Secretary of the NDC, Isaac Tanko Marafa, the party said that without a primary election, Kaduna State would not have a governorship candidate.

The statement read: “On Tuesday, 21st July 2026, a few selected members of our State Working Committee (SWC), along with one Local Government Chairman and the Kwarbai ‘B’ Ward Chairman, were in Abuja to discuss the political imbroglio in our dear state and the attempt to impose Mohammed Sani Abbas as the gubernatorial candidate of Kaduna State when no primary election was held on 29th May.

“For emphasis’ sake, the Kaduna State governorship primary election did not hold on 29th May because the Kaduna State Chairman of the NDC Electoral Committee, Prof. Silva Opuala-Charles, instructed the State Chairman to invite all the governorship aspirants to meet with him with a view to producing a gubernatorial candidate by consensus.

“The Electoral Committee, the SWC and the aspirants spent the whole day on 29th May discussing with the three aspirants on how to reach a consensus that would have produced a validly nominated candidate for Kaduna State. Consequently, the governorship primary election scheduled for that day could not be held and has not been conducted till today.

“There was also no consensus reached as to which of the three aspirants as at that day, 29th May (Ibrahim Hussaini Abdulkarim, Zariyi Yusuf Madaki and Mohammed Sani Abbas), should be the candidate to fly the flag of our party in Kaduna State.

“The state leadership of the party was, however, visited by Senator Danjuma La’ah, who introduced himself as having joined the party and the governorship race, thereby making the number of governorship aspirants four.”

Marafa further stated: “Surprisingly, without the conduct of a gubernatorial primary election or consensus, when Senator Danjuma La’ah appeared before the NDC State Working Committee (SWC), he came with the party’s nomination form and evidence of payment of N30 million for both his Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms. Senator La’ah told the SWC that he was issued the governorship nomination form signed by the National Secretary of the NDC on 25th May, four days before the earlier scheduled gubernatorial primary election of 29th May.

“The public may wish to know that Mohammed Sani Abbas was imposed on the Kaduna State chapter of the NDC. Neither Abbas nor Senator Danjuma La’ah are products of a valid nomination as provided by Section 87 (1-3) of the Electoral Act 2026.

“What the teeming members of the Kaduna State chapter of the NDC and the entire party leadership are demanding is simple: arrange for the conduct of a primary election for the valid nomination of our candidate, either by way of consensus or direct primary election. We want our governorship candidate to emerge validly and legally.

“The Kaduna State NDC members are about to be brazenly denied their statutory (constitutional) right to elect their flag bearer, and we shall vehemently oppose this undemocratic move.

“What happened in Abuja on Tuesday, 21st July, was pure imposition and not reconciliation, consensus or a direct primary election, which is grossly undemocratic, dictatorial and contravenes the clear provisions of Section 87 (1-3) of the Electoral Act 2026 cited above.

“The Kaduna State NDC is therefore calling on the national leadership of our great party to allow for the democratic emergence of our gubernatorial candidate as provided by the Electoral Act 2026. The Electoral Act 2026 clearly donates the power to elect the state governorship candidate only to members of the NDC in Kaduna State.

“We hope that the national leadership of our great party will not commit the fatal error of doing anything capable of denying Kaduna State the right to field a candidate for the governorship position in 2027.

“It is obvious that any attempt to upload a gubernatorial candidate for Kaduna State who did not emerge through a validly conducted consensus or direct primary election monitored by INEC will outrightly deny our state the legal right to field a candidate who will also be legally acceptable to INEC and widely accepted by the majority of NDC members in Kaduna State.

“We advise our amiable national leadership to take advantage of the clear provisions of Section 36 of the Electoral Act 2026 by writing to INEC, as provided under the Act, to monitor the primary election or consensus that will produce a validly nominated and widely accepted gubernatorial candidate. Anything short of this shall not augur well for the Kaduna State chapter of the NDC.”