The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) said yesterday that it is going ahead with the unveiling of the membership of its Presidential Campaign Council tomorrow.
The announcement by the party’s National Publicity Secretary Osa Director came amid reports of internal tension over the composition of the council.
National leader of NDC Senator Seriake Dickson and the presidential candidate Mr.Peter Obi were said to have held divergent views on some of the names proposed by the former Anambra State governor as members of the campaign council.
The disagreement according to party sources was largely responsible for the delay in releasing the list of the council members.
It was originally scheduled for release last Tuesday only for the party to announce a postponement sparking speculations in the political circle.
Seriake and Obi subsequently travelled out of the country.
However Seriake said on his X handle late Friday that he had returned to Nigeria and ‘received our Presidential Candidate His Excellency Peter Obi CON who paid me a visit.’
He added: ‘I also received the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation His Excellency Engr. Babachir Lawal a senior member and leader of our great party the NDC. Together we held very fruitful discussions on the state of the party particularly our readiness for the 2027 general elections.
‘We were later joined by the National Chairman Senator Moses Cleopas who came with members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of our party.
‘I later held another meeting with the NWC with Babachir in attendance.
‘The Chairman and the NWC briefed us on preparations for the official unveiling and inauguration of our National Campaign Council scheduled for Monday.’
In a separate statement yesterday spokesman of the party Osa Director said the Monday event would also feature the presentation of the party’s statement of account at the third National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja.
He said the presentation of its financial statement by the National Treasurer would demonstrate its commitment to transparency and accountability in the management of party finances.
He challenged other political parties particularly the ruling APC to adopt similar measures to promote openness in their financial affairs.
‘For the NDC it is no longer politics as usual’ the statement said.
Obi/Kwankwaso supporters defy party over campaign account
However supporters of Obi and his running mate Rabiu Kwankwaso are adamant in running their own account separate from the party’s.
Obi’s supporter Aisha Yesufu confirmed this much on her X handle @AishaYesufu yesterday.
She narrated how she directed that a gift of $10000 she received ‘in the course of my work for the campaign ‘ be paid into an account bearing the name Obikwankwaso 2027.
Her words:’ As a Muslim any gift received in the course of your work does not belong to you. It belongs to your organization. In the course of my work for the campaign I was gifted $10000 (ten thousand USD) and I have directed that the amount be paid into the ObiKwankwaso2027 account.’
Speaking on the composition of the NDC national campaign council a party source said the handling of the council’s composition had raised concerns about transparency consultation and the distribution of authority within the party.
The source claimed that Dickson had indicated he would personally review the lists submitted for the council and determine who would occupy the various positions.
The allegations however have not been independently established and the party has denied that the delay reflects an internal disagreement.
On Friday Osa Director dismissed as untrue speculations about infighting over the composition of the council.
‘Our Presidential Campaign Council will be inaugurated on October 26’ he said.
‘If we have not yet constituted the council you cannot expect us to inaugurate it. I don’t think the speculation is coming from our party secretariat.’
He added: ‘We can say that we are saving the best for last. It will happen on October 26.’
Asked directly whether there was a disagreement within the party the spokesman responded: ‘No issue whatsoever.’
The contrasting accounts have drawn attention to the challenges confronting the NDC as it prepares to organise a national campaign ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The controversy over the campaign council emerged publicly in September when the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement a support organisation mobilising for Obi and his running mate Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso announced a 59-member presidential campaign council.
The move prompted objections from the NDC leadership which maintained that the responsibility for establishing an official presidential campaign structure rested with the party rather than an independent support group.
The dispute raised a fundamental question about the relationship between the party’s formal structures and the political movements supporting its candidates.
Obi’s political following extends beyond the membership of any single party while Kwankwaso also brings an established political network and support base.
Integrating these constituencies into a coordinated campaign requires agreement on leadership appointments responsibilities and the chain of command.
The earlier disagreement over the support group’s campaign structure therefore provided the background against which the subsequent delay in constituting the official council has been interpreted.
However the existence of disagreements over campaign arrangements does not in itself establish a personal confrontation between Obi and Dickson.
A source familiar with the discussions expressed concern about the process for constituting the campaign council alleging that the party leadership had not adequately communicated the progress of deliberations to some supporters.
‘The truth is that the national leader is not transparent when it comes to this composition of the campaign council. He said he will personally compare the lists’ the source said.
The source also questioned the handling of meetings concerning the council arguing that party members should have greater clarity about the agenda and the outcome of discussions.
‘Usually they are supposed to put the agenda before the meeting. Although they have said those of us who are devotees should not be in attendance we are on the platform together’ the source said.
The source complained that attempts to obtain information about discussions had not yielded satisfactory answers.
‘You said the agenda will be disclosed at the meeting. Then when they come back I try to ask ‘What did you discuss?’ They will not tell me. You can imagine the way-how do you operate like that?’ the source said.
The source questioned whether such an approach was consistent with the operation of a political party with established organs including a National Working Committee (NWC).
‘If you said we are one party NWC and all of that then you can’t disclose what you have gone to discuss?’ the source asked.
The allegations point to possible dissatisfaction among some party supporters over their access to information and the degree of consultation in decisions affecting the campaign.
They do not however establish that the NWC has been excluded from the process or that the party’s formal decision-making procedures have been breached.
The source’s principal concern was the reported division of responsibilities between the party leadership and the two principal candidates.
According to the source Dickson had indicated that Obi and Kwankwaso would be invited to make inputs into the proposed composition of the council but that he would ultimately determine who occupied the different positions.
‘The national leader said he has asked the presidential candidate to bring an input. He has also asked Kwankwaso to bring an input. But that he would decide who takes what position’ the source said.
Questioning the arrangement the source added: ‘How can you do that? One man alone?’
The account raises questions about how the NDC intends to balance the authority of its national leadership with the candidates’ expectations regarding the people who will manage their campaigns.
The council is expected to play a central role in campaign strategy communications mobilisation finance and coordination across the country. Its composition is therefore a significant organisational decision for the party.
Obi and Kwankwaso would need to work with the officials responsible for translating their political programmes into a coordinated national campaign while the party leadership would be expected to maintain organisational discipline and ensure that the campaign operates within the party’s structures.
How these responsibilities are shared could influence the working relationship between the candidates and the party’s leadership.