Kaduna NDC rejects alleged imposition, demands governorship primary

The National Democratic Congress (NDC), Kaduna State chapter, has called for the conduct of a primary election to validly nominate its gubernatorial candidate, either through consensus or a direct primary election.

A statement issued on Friday by Tanko Marafa Tsoriang, the State NDC Publicity Secretary, said, “The Kaduna State NDC members are about to be brazenly denied their statutory (constitutional) right of electing their flag bearer, we shall vehemently oppose this undemocratic move.”

He explained that what happened in Abuja on Tuesday, May 21, was a case of imposition rather than reconciliation, consensus or direct primary election, describing it as “grossly undemocratic, dictatorial” and a violation of the clear provisions of Section 87 (1–3) of the Electoral Act 2026.

The party’s state chapter called on the national leadership to allow for the democratic emergence of its gubernatorial candidate as provided by the Electoral Act 2026, stressing that the law clearly grants NDC members in Kaduna State the power to elect the party’s governorship candidate.

It added that Section 36 of the Electoral Act 2026 imposes a legal duty on INEC to extend the period for the nomination of a gubernatorial candidate for any state, such as Kaduna, that was unable to produce a validly nominated candidate on the primary election day.

Tsoriang pleaded with the national leadership not to commit an error that could deny Kaduna State the opportunity to field a candidate for the governorship position in 2027. He warned that any attempt to upload a gubernatorial candidate for Kaduna State who did not emerge from a validly conducted consensus or direct primary election monitored by INEC would deny the state the legal right to field a candidate who would be acceptable to both INEC and the majority of NDC members in Kaduna State.

“We advise our amiable national leadership to please take advantage of the clear provisions of Section 36 of the Electoral Act 2026 to write INEC as provided by Section 36 of the Electoral Act 2026 to come and monitor the primary election or consensus to produce a validly nominated and widely accepted gubernatorial candidate. Anything short of this shall not augur well for the Kaduna State chapter of NDC,” the statement said. 

Kaduna NDC rejects alleged imposition, demands governorship primary