By Peter Effiom
Following a massive wave of high-profile defections ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) is currently experiencing a widespread internal crisis caused by accusations of manipulating the primary election, a fierce power struggle over party structures, and conflict between new and old members.
Numerous states are affected by the issue, which has distinct disputes stemming from local leadership struggles and candidate selection.
Before the situation develops into a total loss of confidence, angry stakeholders in a number of states have called on the national leadership to step in, address the parallel outcomes, and uphold internal democracy.
The allocation of party positions between current party members and newcomers from the Kwankwasiya Movement has caused a crisis in Kano State.
Following his recent defection, local party executives accused former Kano Governor Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of monopolizing the party structure and marginalizing non-Kwankwasiyya candidates.
When the NDC national leadership allegedly implemented a 60/40 candidate distribution scheme that favored Kwankwaso’s group, tensions erupted. Candidates and party executives were chosen after the agreement.
But soon after the list of candidates was made public, tensions reappeared as some longtime members accused the Kwankwasiyya faction of not upholding the terms of the agreement.
Deep rifts between the party’s original members and those who support Kwankwaso have been revealed by the development. According to rumours, Kwankwaso is threatening to quit the party if his favoured candidates are not reinstated.
The recent NDC state and national assembly primaries in Imo State were categorically rejected by resentful stakeholders and former federal lawmakers.
Candidates were purportedly imposed after the process was taken over by powerful internal interests. Members who feel wronged assert that the national headquarters’ supervisory panels did not carry out transparent exercises, which resulted in parallel results and a delay in submitting names to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Unreleased primary results have caused the issue in Edo and Bayelsa States to worsen.
A political organization called Team Wilson 2027 has issued a warning in Bayelsa over purported plans to reverse the results of the Sagbama primary election. Attempts to alter the results of the Ekeremor primaries have alarmed disgruntled party members.
Following the breakdown of a consensual agreement, well-known Edo State senatorial candidate Ehiozuwa Agbonyinwa publicly attacked NDC National Leader Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, accusing him of engineering exclusion. Local political organizations in Bayelsa, meanwhile, are cautioning against attempts to invalidate valid primary results.
Mass defection is an imminent concern in Ebonyi State due to internal disintegration. The state chairman and organizing secretary were charged by State Secretary Chinedu Adum with undermining the party’s integrity for private benefit. It is alleged that prominent founding members are trying to undermine the party hierarchy before 2027.
The state executive council in Enugu State has been shattered by a direct leadership struggle. Parallel leadership is being used by rival factions. Anih, the factional chairman, has publicly called on Peter Obi, the party’s most prominent political figure, to step in and address a “midnight congress” that was organized by desperate people attempting to steal the state mandate.
Prominent individuals like Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso left the crisis-ridden African Democratic Congress (ADC), sparking a wave of defections that included 17 members of the House of Representatives. This led to the NDC’s quick ascent.
But the party’s administrative apparatus has been overtaken by the surge of transactional politics, elite haughtiness, and unexpected new memberships. Political analysts caution that internal divisions could prevent the NDC from functioning as a unified “third force” for the 2027 general elections if the national leadership does not promptly settle these legal challenges and primary complaints.
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