A chieftain of the Nigerian Democratic Congress, NDC, in Plateau State, Comrade Iliya Abdullahi, has accused the occasion’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, of taking sides within the lingering dispute over the occasion’s governorship ticket within the state.
Abdullahi questioned Obi’s perceived closeness to Alfred Ali Dapal, whose emergence as a governorship aspirant has reportedly heightened divisions inside the occasion, whereas the occasion’s recognised candidate, Da Jonathan Sunday Akuns, allegedly struggles to obtain comparable help.
The NDC governorship ticket dispute in Plateau State centres on Dapal and Akuns, with each sides laying declare to the occasion’s mandate forward of the forthcoming election.
Dapal, who beforehand contested the Plateau State governorship major of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, reportedly left the occasion following its extended inside disaster and joined the NDC.
However, his entry into the NDC was adopted by one other controversy over the occasion’s governorship nomination. On September 15, 2026, the Plateau State NDC Chairman, Solomon Ndam, reportedly declared Dapal the occasion’s most well-liked candidate after a substitution major.
The improvement additional difficult the scenario, as Dapal reportedly instituted authorized proceedings difficult Akuns’ declare to the governorship ticket.
Akuns, however, has reportedly acquired repeated recognition from the NDC National Chairman because the occasion’s respectable governorship candidate in Plateau State.
Reacting to the disagreement, Abdullahi questioned how a political occasion looking for to ascertain itself as a reputable various to the prevailing political institution might develop into embroiled in an inside dispute that threatens its credibility and unity.
Speaking with journalists in Abuja, the NDC chieftain expressed concern over what he described as Obi’s obvious affiliation with Dapal, regardless of the continued disagreement over the occasion’s recognised candidate.
He argued that Obi’s perceived place might undermine the occasion’s inside construction and weaken the standing of Akuns, who he stated had repeatedly been recognised by the nationwide management.
“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 actually the type of political judgement anticipated from a presidential candidate who has constantly preached integrity, due course of, institutional self-discipline and a brand new political tradition?” 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 determined to acquire the NDC governorship ticket? He contested the PDP governorship major in May 2026 and misplaced. Why did he not pursue his grievance inside the PDP or struggle for the ticket he misplaced 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 doesn’t ordinarily intervene within the inside affairs of state chapters of the occasion.
Similar disagreements have reportedly emerged in Akwa Ibom, Delta and Anambra states, the place Obi has additionally shunned direct intervention in state-level occasion disputes.
The controversy in Plateau State due to this fact raises additional questions concerning the NDC’s inside dispute-resolution course of and the occasion’s capability to resolve competing claims to its governorship ticket forward of the election.
