The National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Seriake Dickson, along with other party leaders, held a closed-door peace meeting with aggrieved members of the party in Kano State on Monday. This was disclosed by Osa Director, the national spokesperson of the NDC, in a statement released on Tuesday.
Efforts to Resolve Primary Election Crisis
Mr. Director explained that the peace talks were part of ongoing efforts to resolve the crisis stemming from the primary elections, which has created tensions between the Kwankwasiya Movement and other NDC members in the North-western state. The Kwankwasiya Movement is a political support group founded by the NDC vice-presidential candidate and former Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
The national spokesperson described the meeting, which lasted several hours, as productive. He stated, Senator Dickson and the NDC leadership are mediating in the process in order to enhance inclusion and participation by every party member. He further emphasized that the NDC leadership will not impose candidates in Kano State or anywhere else, as the party values internal democracy.
No Official Results Released
Mr. Director stressed that the NDC has not released any official results of its 2027 primaries in any state. He urged the public and party members to disregard any lists circulating, as they are not authentic.
Background of the Crisis
According to reports, some NDC members in North-west Nigeria recently accused Mr. Kwankwaso of attempting to ensure the dominance of Kwankwasiya Movement members in the region's party structure while sidelining other key leaders. The Vice-Chairman of the NDC in the North-west, Mohammed Serina, and the Chairman of the party in Kano State, Hussaini Mariga, made these allegations in a petition submitted to the party's national leadership.
This newspaper learned that the petition was prompted by purported results of NDC's primaries in the North-west, which were circulating on Facebook and showed a majority of winners linked to the Kwankwasiya Movement. The NDC leadership continues to work towards a peaceful resolution to ensure unity and fairness within the party.
