The National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Seriake Dickson, hosted the party’s Vice Presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and other party leaders, for a late-night meeting in Abuja.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that the intervention was organized to resolve the leadership crisis rocking the Kano State chapter of the party, specifically over candidate nominations and power-sharing ratios.
The disagreements within the Kano chapter went public after the state leadership, led by State Chairman Hon. Hussaini Isah Mairiga, altered the candidate roster originally submitted by Kwankwaso’s Kwankwasiyya faction. The state structure substituted multiple names for Federal Constituencies and State House of Assembly seats to enforce a pre-arranged 60/40 power-sharing pact.
Under that agreement, the incoming Kwankwasiyya faction was allocated 60% of party tickets, while the founding NDC structure retained 40%. The recent replacements led to allegations of bad faith and rumours that Kwankwaso was considering exiting the political party.
Following the closed-door meeting, which also had the Kano State NDC governorship candidate, Aminu Abdussalam, in attendance, Dickson revealed the details via his official X handle. He confirmed that the session was aimed at realigning the interests of the national leadership with those of the Kano pioneer members and Kwankwaso’s bloc.
He described the session as part of his “ongoing mediatory efforts aimed at ensuring that our party officials in Kano state and the leader of the party in the state, who is also our Vice Presidential candidate, remain on the same page at this critical moment in the life of our party.”
Dickson said internal opposition is a natural byproduct of a rapidly expanding political movement. He observed that because the NDC is growing quickly across Nigeria, “disagreements and clashes of interest are inevitable.” He stressed that the national executive body is adept at resolving these situations, noting, “We are accustomed to managing such challenges through dialogue, consultation, and reconciliation. That is what I have been doing, not only in Kano State but across the nation for the past months.”
He also defended the integrity of the party’s selection process against accusations of highhandedness. The former Bayelsa State Governor clarified that the central working committee respects regional autonomy.
“At no time have we imposed candidates on any state, not even in my home state of Bayelsa. We have consistently allowed democratic processes to play themselves out, despite the imperfections and difficulties that naturally arise.”
The National Leader added, “We had fruitful deliberations, and I am confident that, with goodwill and our collective commitment, all parties will continue to work together harmoniously as we pursue victory for our party and its candidates.”
“His Excellency Senator Kwankwaso and I share a long history of collaboration dating back to our days in the PDP, when we both served as governors, and continuing to the present day. Over the years, we have maintained a close relationship, regularly visiting one another, sharing confidences, discussing national issues, and planning political engagements.”
