The Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) has fixed October 20 for the inauguration of its presidential campaign council, saying consultations with Peter Obi and his running mate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, delayed the process.
National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas, disclosed this after a two-day meeting of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).
He said the party had prepared a blueprint for the council but would not proceed without consulting its presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
“Constitution and inauguration of presidential campaign council is a responsibility of the party at the highest level. But the party itself cannot do that without recourse to the presidential candidate and the vice-presidential candidate,” Cleopas said.
He explained that the delay was necessary to ensure that trusted and committed individuals occupied strategic positions.
“It is better to get it right. It is a sensitive election that we are going into, and we must check characters,” he said.
Cleopas warned that campaign officials with divided loyalties could undermine the party’s chances in the 2027 general election.
“It is not today you are going to have one DG of your campaign and in the middle of the campaign you will hear that your DG is one leg in NDC, one leg somewhere else. It will jeopardise the whole hope of this country,” he said.
The October 20 event will also feature the presentation of certificates of return to the party’s candidates and a dinner to strengthen cooperation among them.
Cleopas dismissed suggestions of division within the NDC over the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket, insisting that the party’s leadership and structures remained committed to the candidates.
He described the pairing as capable of attracting support across religious, ethnic and regional divides.
The chairman also defended the decision to skip a competitive presidential primary, saying the party had already settled on its preferred direction.
“We were clear on the direction we were going, and no regrets,” he said.
He rejected claims that National Leader Senator Henry Seriake Dickson was unwilling to support the ticket because he did not emerge as the presidential candidate.
According to Cleopas, Dickson declined to use the party he helped establish to pursue his own presidential ambition.
Beyond the campaign council, the NDC said it had begun recruiting polling agents and coordinating candidates and stakeholders to ensure adequate representation at polling units.
Cleopas said the party was preparing ahead of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s timetable rather than waiting for official directives.
“My deputy chairman, South, is the chairman of a committee. We are not waiting for INEC to tell us before we run around. We are already working in advance on party agents,” he said.
He maintained that winning votes would not be enough without ensuring they were properly counted and recorded.
“We are convinced that if it is the votes to win the 2027 general elections, we have them,” he said.
Cleopas urged voters to remain vigilant after casting their ballots and support lawful efforts to protect their votes.
He said voter education and organisational preparations would intensify as the party builds its campaign machinery for 2027.