NDC yet to produce Kaduna governorship candidate for 2027 — Chairman

The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, says it is yet to produce a governorship candidate for the 2027 Kaduna election, amid competing claims by former Sen. Danjuma La’ah and Mohammed Abbas.

The ​‌‌⁠⁠⁠‍‍⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌​‌⁠‌​state chairman of the party, Mordecai Ibrahim, disclosed this on Thursday at a news conference in Kaduna, saying the controversy over the party’s governorship ticket remained unresolved.

Mr Ibrahim said the party would have to conduct a substitution primary to produce a valid candidate following his withdrawal from the race.

“The bitter truth is that both at the state and national levels, the decision as to who is the governorship candidate of Kaduna State, whether Barrister Mohammed Sani Abbas or Senator Danjuma Tellah La’ah, has not been taken,” he said.

The chairman explained that he remained the party’s recognised governorship candidate until he voluntarily withdrew from the race.

He said he formally notified the NDC National Chairman and the Kaduna State Resident Electoral Commissioner of his withdrawal in line with Section 31 of the Electoral Act 2026.

Mr Ibrahim said he submitted a withdrawal letter dated Aug. 7, which was received at the office of the national chairman, alongside an affidavit supporting his withdrawal.

He also presented what he described as an INEC summary of candidates nominated by political parties for the 2027 general election, which listed his name as the NDC governorship candidate.

The development, he said, had triggered a fresh dispute over who should inherit the party’s ticket, with La’ah and Abbas laying competing claims to the nomination.

Mr Ibrahim said a faction of the party had denied issuing a governorship ticket to La’ah.

He also cited a statement by the NDC Deputy National Chairman, North, Alhaji Sidi Bomi, dismissing a purported document bearing La’ah’s name and circulating on social media.

According to Ibrahim, Mr Bomi said the document did not emanate from the party and should not be relied upon as evidence that La’ah had emerged as the NDC candidate.

Mr Abbas has also maintained that he remains the legitimate governorship candidate of the party.

However, Ibrahim rejected the claim, accusing Abbas of falsely claiming to have participated in and won a governorship primary.

He said the party would resolve the controversy through the appropriate internal process and ensure that a valid candidate emerged in accordance with electoral requirements.

NAN