Plateau NDC gov'ship crisis: Peter Obi accused of taking sides

A chieftain of the Nigerian Democratic Congress, NDC, in Plateau State, Comrade Iliya Abdullahi, has accused the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, of taking sides in the lingering dispute over the party’s governorship ticket in the state.

Abdullahi questioned Obi’s perceived closeness to Alfred Ali Dapal, whose emergence as a governorship aspirant has reportedly heightened divisions within the party, while the party’s recognised candidate, Da Jonathan Sunday Akuns, allegedly struggles to receive similar support.

The NDC governorship ticket dispute in Plateau State centres on Dapal and Akuns, with both sides laying claim to the party’s mandate ahead of the forthcoming election.

Dapal, who previously contested the Plateau State governorship primary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, reportedly left the party following its prolonged internal crisis and joined the NDC.

However, his entry into the NDC was followed by another controversy over the party’s governorship nomination. On September 15, 2026, the Plateau State NDC Chairman, Solomon Ndam, reportedly declared Dapal the party’s preferred candidate after a substitution primary.

The development further complicated the situation, as Dapal reportedly instituted legal proceedings challenging Akuns’ claim to the governorship ticket.

Akuns, on the other hand, has reportedly received repeated recognition from the NDC National Chairman as the party’s legitimate governorship candidate in Plateau State.

Reacting to the disagreement, Abdullahi questioned how a political party seeking to establish itself as a credible alternative to the existing political establishment could become embroiled in an internal dispute that threatens its credibility and unity.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja, the NDC chieftain expressed concern over what he described as Obi’s apparent association with Dapal, despite the ongoing disagreement over the party’s recognised candidate.

He argued that Obi’s perceived position could undermine the party’s internal structure and weaken the standing of Akuns, who he said had repeatedly been recognised by the national leadership.

“The question Peter Obi must answer is simple: Why is he being friendly with someone whose political actions and insistence on the NDC ticket are contributing to the destruction of the party’s structure in Plateau State? Why is he seemingly pushing away the official candidate whom the National Chairman has repeatedly identified as the only recognised candidate of the NDC in Plateau State?

“Is this really the kind of political judgement expected from a presidential candidate who has consistently preached integrity, due process, institutional discipline and a new political culture?” Abdullahi asked.

He also questioned Dapal’s decision to pursue the NDC governorship ticket after previously contesting the PDP primary, insisting that the circumstances surrounding his departure from the former party required clarification.

“More importantly, why is Alfred Dapal so desperate to obtain the NDC governorship ticket? He contested the PDP governorship primary in May 2026 and lost. Why did he not pursue his grievance within the PDP or fight for the ticket he lost there?

“Why abandon that political platform and suddenly become so invested in the NDC, a party whose membership, internal procedures and nomination processes he must necessarily satisfy before seeking its ticket?” he added.

However, Obi has reportedly maintained that he does not ordinarily interfere in the internal affairs of state chapters of the party.

Similar disagreements have reportedly emerged in Akwa Ibom, Delta and Anambra states, where Obi has also refrained from direct intervention in state-level party disputes.

The controversy in Plateau State therefore raises further questions about the NDC’s internal dispute-resolution process and the party’s ability to resolve competing claims to its governorship ticket ahead of the election.