By Jude Opara
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) says it is taking deliberate steps to prevent politicians from exploiting the popularity of major opposition figures such as Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso to secure electoral tickets without genuine commitment to the party.
National Publicity Secretary of the party, Osa Director, disclosed this during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Thursday, monitored in Abuja, where he said the NDC had learned important lessons from the political developments that followed the 2023 general elections.
According to him, the party is determined to avoid a repeat of the situation in which several relatively unknown aspirants joined opposition parties during the last election cycle, won positions and later defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Director explained that the NDC has adopted stricter screening measures to assess the political background, grassroots involvement and ideological commitment of aspirants seeking to contest under the party’s platform.
“We have learnt from the incident of the past that happened in the Labour Party,” he said, noting that many individuals, including politicians returning from the diaspora, rushed into opposition politics mainly because of the rising popularity of figures like Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso.
He stated that during the screening exercise, aspirants were subjected to questions concerning their political experience, vision and long-term commitment to the party.
According to him, the party is particularly interested in candidates with visible grassroots structures and active participation in local politics rather than those seeking to take advantage of public sentiment and political waves.
“If you are not on the ground, who is going to vote for you?” he asked.
The NDC spokesman maintained that the party would no longer operate on a “business as usual” basis when it comes to candidate selection.
He stressed that aspirants without verifiable political credentials, loyalty to party principles and proven dedication to the party’s ideals would not be allowed to fly the NDC flag in future elections.
The comments come amid increasing political realignments ahead of the 2027 elections, with opposition parties seeking to strengthen their internal structures and avoid the post-election defections that weakened some parties after the 2023 polls.
Peter Obi contested the 2023 presidential election under the Labour Party, while Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso flew the flag of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), both attracting significant grassroots support nationwide.
However, several politicians who benefited from the momentum surrounding the two opposition figures later dumped their parties for the APC, a development the NDC says it is determined to guard against moving forward.
