Nigeria Democratic Congress Confirms Date for Internal Elections

By Babatunji Wusu

The Nigeria Democratic Congress has confirmed that its nationwide internal elections will still take place on Friday, 29 May 2026. Top party leaders Moses Cleopas and Ikenna Enekweizu shared this update in a fresh joint statement. They explained that recent public holidays for Eid-el-Kabir caused massive travel issues. Many politicians and committee members found themselves stuck in Abuja without any available flights.

Because of these transport delays, the party changed its schedule slightly. Party officials will use Thursday, 28 May for travel, vital paperwork, and private talks with the electoral umpire and security teams. The leadership warned that no state agency, like the police or DSS, should take part in Thursday’s private meetings. Any unofficial events on that day are strictly illegal.

The actual voting will happen on Friday. The process follows a strict order, starting with the presidential affirmation, followed by parliament slots, and ending with the governorship primaries. Special electoral panels will collect all votes and send them to the national headquarters. Only the central National Working Committee has the legal right to announce the final winners.

To ensure a transparent process, the party chose respected leaders to head the state panels. These include Osita Ogbu for Anambra, Osusu Osusu for Rivers, and Sidi Abdul Bomi for Lagos. Other key leaders like Fredrick Owotorufa will handle Edo State, while Babatunde Ali goes to Imo State. The group wants to ensure peaceful political party primaries before the main 2027 general elections.

The statement read, “The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has made clarifications regarding its scheduled presidential, National Assembly, governorship, and state assembly primaries. The primaries are still scheduled to hold nationwide on May 29, 2026, in keeping with the original May 28 and 29 timetable.” The chiefs urged all members to stay calm, as they will not tolerate any violent behaviour.

What steps do you think political groups should take to avoid transport delays during important national events?