NDC warns about alleged APC-backed aspirants

By Dickson Omobola

ABUJA — On Thursday, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) accused several aspirants seeking party nominations of being sponsored by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The NDC said it had already identified and confronted the implicated aspirants, warning that they would not receive the party’s tickets ahead of the primaries scheduled for Friday.

Speaking on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television programme, the NDC’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Osa Director, said the party was determined to prevent infiltration by political opportunists allegedly planted by the ruling party.

He added that the NDC was not a vehicle for any individual, insisting that no aspirant would rely on the popularity of the Peter Obi–Rabiu Kwankwaso alliance to secure votes or political relevance within the party.

According to Director, only aspirants with verifiable political pedigree and a demonstrated commitment to the party’s principles and values would be considered for tickets.

“We are not in a position to disclose all of our strategy because we know that we are fighting a behemoth, which is the ruling party,” he said. “During the screening, even though we did not disqualify any person, we confronted some of those aspirants. Do you know that there are aspirants who are in the NDC that are being sponsored by the ruling party? We know that from the various states, and because we also have our intelligence, we confronted them.”

“Those ones already know that they are not getting the ticket because we know that they are moles planted in the party,” Director added.

He quoted the party’s national leader, Seriake Dickson, saying that the NDC was not a “special multipurpose vehicle” for politicians seeking personal advantage.

“Like the national leader of the party, Seriake Dickson, said, NDC is not a special multipurpose vehicle for anyone, and that is the truth,” Director said. “We are ensuring that we are telling members that this is not a special multipurpose vehicle for you. We have some things we have put in place to checkmate these opportunistic charlatans who may want to take advantage of NDC as a vehicle.”

Addressing aspirants who allegedly sought to benefit from the Obi–Kwankwaso political wave, Director said the party had learned lessons from the Labour Party’s experience and would not repeat similar mistakes.

“We are not following the playbook of the Labour Party. It is only an inexperienced person that will not learn lessons from history,” he said. “We have learned from the incident of the past that happened in the Labour Party. And that was why during our screening, we took particular notice of the fact that a lot of people, especially people from the diaspora, who have never participated in politics, rushed to pick forms under the platform of the NDC probably to ride on the Obi–Kwankwaso wave.”

“And also because they see that the NDC is a vibrant alternative platform to the mess we are having in the country today. We are conscious of all that,” he added.

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