Nigeria's opposition parties clash over nominations and internal democracy

Leaders of the pro‑democracy coalition NADECO, Colonel Tony Nyiam (ret.) and Chief Ayo Opadokun, rejected former President Abdulsalami Abubakar’s assertions that NADECO sought to extend military rule in 1998 and that election winner MKO Abiola was not poisoned. They said no NADECO representative ever asked for a prolonged military transition and called the former head of state’s account inaccurate.

The Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) chairman Hakeem Baba‑Ahmed also refuted reports that NDC vice‑presidential candidate Rabiu Kwankwaso bought 69 PRP nomination forms in Kano. Baba‑Ahmed called the allegation “complete fiction,” noting that nomination forms are issued only from Abuja and that the individual making the claim has no authority in the party.

Within the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), members in the Oti Region’s Nkwanta North constituency petitioned the party’s regional and national executives after the constituency committee halted scheduled branch elections, claiming the move undermines internal democracy. In Kano, the NDC rebuffed Governor Abba Yusuf’s suggestion that the party’s boycott of a recent bye‑election indicated weakness, emphasizing a strategic focus on broader grassroots mobilisation. Meanwhile, in Plateau State, NDC aspirant David Dama accused the party leadership of imposing a candidate for the Jos North/Bassa House of Representatives seat without a primary, describing the process as undemocratic and demanding national intervention.