The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has said it has not officially settled on a governorship candidate for Kaduna State ahead of the 2027 general election.
The party’s Kaduna State Chairman, Mordecai Ibrahim, made this known at a press conference in Kaduna, amid an ongoing dispute over the party’s governorship ticket involving former Senator Danjuma La’ah and lawyer Mohammed Sani Abbas.
Ibrahim said neither La’ah nor Abbas had been formally recognised by the party as its candidate, stressing that the issue remained unresolved at both the state and national levels.
He explained that he was previously recognised as the NDC’s governorship candidate but voluntarily withdrew from the race after notifying the party’s national chairman and the Kaduna State Resident Electoral Commissioner.
According to him, his withdrawal means the party would now need to conduct a substitution primary to produce a properly recognised candidate.
Ibrahim said his withdrawal letter, dated August 7, was received by the national chairman, while he also submitted an affidavit confirming his decision.
He further stated that documents available from the Independent National Electoral Commission had previously listed him as the party’s candidate, adding that the situation had changed following his withdrawal.
The clarification comes after competing claims emerged over the NDC governorship ticket. While La’ah has been linked to the party’s ticket, the party has previously denied issuing him a formal governorship nomination.
Abbas has also maintained that he is the legitimate NDC governorship candidate. Ibrahim, however, rejected the claim that Abbas participated in and won a valid primary election.
The state chairman insisted that the disagreement could not be resolved through competing claims and called for the party to follow the appropriate electoral procedures.
He argued that, because no consensus had been reached, the party should conduct another primary to produce a candidate whose nomination would comply with the relevant electoral requirements.
Ibrahim also disclosed that two other aspirants, Zariyi Madaki and Ibrahim Abdulkarim, had withdrawn from the contest in support of La’ah during an earlier consensus meeting at the party’s national secretariat.
He described La’ah as an experienced politician, citing his previous two terms in the Senate.
The dispute adds to the political activity surrounding the 2027 Kaduna governorship election, with parties expected to finalise their candidates and campaign structures as the election approaches.
For the NDC, resolving the disagreement will be important to avoid further confusion within its Kaduna chapter and ensure that the party presents a clearly recognised candidate to the electorate.
The party’s leadership is now expected to determine the next steps regarding the governorship primary and nomination process.
Until that process is completed and a candidate is formally recognised, the NDC has no officially settled Kaduna governorship candidate, according to the state chairman.
