Plateau NDC Faces Crisis Over Governorship Candidate Dispute

A fresh crisis has erupted within the Plateau State chapter of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) regarding a disputed substitution primary. Stakeholders allege that attempts were made to replace the party’s recognized governorship candidate, Da Jonathan Sunday Akuns.

State chairman Solomon Ndam Yakubu and the national leadership provided conflicting accounts of the primary process. While Ndam denied any dispute and claimed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) monitored the exercise, stakeholder Abdullahi Iliya accused him of organizing a parallel primary with local government chairmen, forwarding the name of Alfred Dapal Damiyal to INEC.

Damiyal, a former aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had previously polled 5,036 votes in the party's May primary. NDC National Auditor Oluwole Adedapo, who was sent to conduct the substitution exercise, reported interference from individuals claiming to be from the Department of State Services (DSS).

Adedapo confirmed that Akuns was the only aspirant who completed the necessary processes and declared him the party’s candidate for the 2027 election.