A chieftain of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) in Plateau State, Comrade Iliya Abdullahi, has accused the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, of taking sides in the lingering dispute over the party’s governorship ticket in the state.
Abdullahi questioned Obi’s perceived closeness to Alfred Ali Dapal, whose emergence as a governorship aspirant has reportedly deepened divisions within the party, while the party’s recognised candidate, Da Jonathan Sunday Akuns, allegedly struggles to receive similar support.
The dispute centres on competing claims to the NDC governorship ticket between Dapal and Akuns ahead of the forthcoming election.
Dapal, who previously contested the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary in Plateau State, reportedly left the party following its prolonged internal crisis and joined the NDC.
However, his entry into the party was followed by another disagreement over its governorship nomination. On September 15, 2026, Plateau State NDC Chairman, Solomon Ndam, reportedly declared Dapal the party’s preferred candidate following a substitution primary.
The development further complicated the dispute, with Dapal reportedly instituting legal proceedings challenging Akuns’ claim to the ticket.
Akuns, on the other hand, has reportedly continued to receive recognition from the NDC National Chairman as the party’s legitimate governorship candidate in Plateau State.
Speaking with journalists in Abuja, Abdullahi questioned Obi’s perceived association with Dapal despite the unresolved disagreement over the party’s recognised candidate.
He argued that the alleged position of the former Anambra State governor could undermine the party’s internal structure and weaken Akuns, whom he said had repeatedly been recognised by the national leadership.
“The question Peter Obi must answer is simple: Why is he being friendly with someone whose political actions and insistence on the NDC ticket are contributing to the destruction of the party’s structure in Plateau State? Why is he seemingly pushing away the official candidate whom the National Chairman has repeatedly identified as the only recognised candidate of the NDC in Plateau State?
“Is this really the kind of political judgment expected from a presidential candidate who has consistently preached integrity, due process, institutional discipline and a new political culture?” Abdullahi asked.
The NDC chieftain also questioned why Dapal was pursuing the party’s governorship ticket after previously contesting the PDP primary.
“More importantly, why is Alfred Dapal so desperate to obtain the NDC governorship ticket? He contested the PDP governorship primary in May 2026 and lost. Why did he not pursue his grievance within the PDP or fight for the ticket he lost there?
“Why abandon that political platform and suddenly become so invested in the NDC, a party whose membership, internal procedures and nomination processes he must necessarily satisfy before seeking its ticket?” he added.
Obi, however, has reportedly maintained that he does not ordinarily interfere in the internal affairs of the party’s state chapters.
Similar disagreements have reportedly emerged in Akwa Ibom, Delta and Anambra states, where Obi has also refrained from directly intervening in state-level party disputes.
The Plateau controversy has therefore brought renewed attention to the NDC’s internal dispute-resolution process and its handling of competing claims to the governorship ticket ahead of the election.
