A political group, The True Democracy Patriots, weekend, accused the national leadership of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, of relegating the original stakeholders that built the party to the background.
According to the group, the decamping of the presidential candidate of the party, Mr Peter Obi, and his running mate, Dr Rabiu Kwankwaso, was a boost to the party, adding however that “it should not take the shine of the labour of NDC’s fundamental stalwarts”.
The group disclosed this in reaction to a post by NDC’s National Leader, Senator Serieki Dickson. Dickson had in the post disclosed how NDC was built from the scratch before becoming Nigeria’s leading opposition party. In the post, Dickson thanked Obi and Kwankwaso for their support to NDC.
The National Leader stated via his X that, “NDC has emerged as the biggest national opposition party in our country. Together we shall continue to defend democracy, deepen our multi-party system, and again build a Bayelsa and a Nigeria founded on justice, freedom, accountability, the rule of law and free and fair elections.”
Chief Tony Okpanku, the convener of the True Democracy Patriots, while briefing newsmen in Enugu, said Dickson’s narrative contradicted how he treated the party’s original funders and mobilisers in Enugu State.
Quoting Okpanku, “Dickson abandoned the people that built the party with him when NDC was not taken seriously. NDC has been in existence before Obi and Kwankwaso joined the party. There were people that strongly backed the party then, especially in Enugu State. Unfortunately, Dickson forgot them during the party primaries. He did the same in some other states, but we are particular in Enugu State.
“NDC’s founder, convener and financier in the state was denied the party’s ticket for the House of Representatives for Igboeze North/Udenu Federal Constituency. No reason was given by the national hierarchy of the party. Dickson rather gave the ticket to a decampee from the African Democratic Congress, who never contributed to the growth of the party whatsoever.”
He added, “In Enugu North, Enugu West and Enugu East, the party relied on the former governor who allegedly collected money from former aspirants in African Democratic Congress to become the standard-bearers of NDC in Enugu State come 2027. He jettisoned the actual party executives and leaders who formed the party in the state. This act has brought hatred, mistrust and disaffection within NDC in Enugu State. The abandonment of the state NDC founding members will continue to hunt the party in the state. It will negatively affect the performance of NDC during the forthcoming general elections. It has started because NDC performed poorly during the recent senatorial bye-election for Enugu North senatorial district won by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress.”
Speaking also, the Chairman, Sensitisation Committee of the group, Comrade Peter Onukanya, said, “The founder, convener and financier of the party in the state called us to a meeting twice, appealing on behalf of the party that we should forget and move forward, but it has been very difficult for us to agree with him. He even said that the party had taken notice of the mistakes, yet we could not agree with him even though he was the major person directly affected. Rather we informed him that if the party wins elections tomorrow, the same former governor and his group will take over and be determining who will be what from the state; we may be pushed aside. Therefore we will either leave the party for the former governor or the former governor and his group must step aside from the leadership given to him by the party.”
When our correspondent reached the convener/founder of the party in the state, who was denied the party ticket, he said, “The party is intact and all the issues shall be resolved.”
Our correspondent reports that NDC, a week ago, released names of its candidates for various elective positions in the state. The list generated reactions as some party faithful claimed that it was the decision of the national leadership of the party, and not the true reflection of the party’s primaries held on May 29th, 2026.
