TDThe Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has confirmed that its nationwide primaries for presidential, governorship, National Assembly and State Assembly positions will hold on May 29, despite logistical disruptions caused by the Eid-el-Kabir holidays.
Nigeria’s opposition political landscape gathered momentum ahead of the 2027 general elections with the announcement.
In a statement jointly signed by the party’s National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas, and National Secretary, Barr. Ikenna Alex-Morgan Enekweizu, the party clarified that the original timetable for May 28 and 29 remains in force, but adjustments have been made to accommodate transportation and coordination challenges affecting aspirants and officials.
According to the statement, many aspirants and members of the screening committee who travelled to Abuja for screening exercises became stranded due to flight unavailability and other logistical difficulties linked to the public holidays.
The party consequently designated May 28 for arrivals, documentation with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies, stakeholder consultations, and preparatory meetings, while the actual primaries will now take place on May 29 nationwide.
“The teams will use May 28 to also hold meetings with stakeholders, party elders, as well as aspirants in their respective states,” the statement read.
The leadership further warned that no state institution or agency, including the Police, DSS, or INEC, is expected to play any role in activities scheduled for May 28 outside officially approved guidelines, stressing that any unauthorized activities would be deemed illegal.
The party outlined the sequence for the May 29 exercise as follows:
- Presidential affirmation
- National Assembly primaries/affirmation
- State Assembly primaries/affirmation
- PGovernorship primaries/affirmation
The NDC added that all results would be collated and transmitted to the party’s National Headquarters, where the National Working Committee (NWC) would officially announce the outcomes.
“No state executive or team has the mandate to announce any results,” the statement emphasized.
The party also appealed to aspirants and supporters to maintain peace and order throughout the process, reiterating its zero tolerance for violence, hooliganism, and disorderly conduct.
In a related development, former Bayelsa State Governor and prominent NDC leader, Seriake Dickson, announced that the party had resolved to conduct direct primaries for the exercise following extensive consultations involving the NWC, screening committee members, stakeholders, and the party’s presidential aspirant, Peter Obi.
Dickson disclosed that the decision followed a marathon meeting held after the submission of the screening committee report chaired by former Ebonyi State Governor, Sam Egwu.
He praised the committee for handling what he described as a staggering number of aspirants that exceeded the party’s expectations nationwide.
According to Dickson, all aspirants who purchased Expression of Interest Forms would now be allowed to participate directly in the primaries in their constituencies due to time constraints and the compressed electoral timetable.
“Only successful candidates will report to the party secretariat for documentation and, in the process, pay for nomination forms and complete other necessary forms,” he stated.
The party explained that State Assembly primaries would be conducted through direct voting at constituency level, while House of Representatives, Senate, governorship and presidential affirmations would take place at various Local Government headquarters.
Dickson said the NDC had initially intended to deploy a fully electronic primary election system but was unable to implement it due to limited time and logistical constraints.
“As I said at the dinner with aspirants, this will be the last primary election in the NDC to be conducted manually,” he said, adding that future primaries would be digitized to reduce complaints and improve transparency.
He also announced the establishment of an Appeal Panel to address grievances arising from the process.
The NDC leadership urged all party officials and stakeholders to ensure fairness, transparency and collaboration with security agencies and INEC to guarantee peaceful and credible primaries across the federation.
The party concluded by reaffirming its commitment to building what it described as “an enduring modern political institution” rather than “a special-purpose vehicle for any individual political interest.”
