Jane Salihu
A major opposition coalition took shape in Abuja on Saturday as former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and former Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson converged at the maiden national convention of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), declaring their resolve to prevent Nigeria from sliding into a one-party state ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The convention, held in Abuja, also adopted a key constitutional resolution zoning the party’s 2027 presidential ticket to Southern Nigeria and reserving the 2031 ticket for the North under a rotational arrangement aimed at promoting national balance and political stability.
Delegates further endorsed a single four-year presidential term to rotate between the North and South, a proposal party leaders said would reduce regional tensions and deepen national unity.
The resolutions were adopted following motions moved by Afam Victor and Seyi Sowumi and were later ratified by delegates drawn from across the federation.
In a speech that drew loud applause, Obi announced that he and his supporters had formally joined the NDC, describing the party as a platform for national liberation.
“We cannot have one party in Nigeria. Nigeria must remain a multiparty democracy,” Obi declared.
The 2023 presidential candidate accused some beneficiaries of democracy and the judiciary of undermining the very institutions that brought them to prominence.
“Nigeria is not poor. Nigeria was looted into poverty, and we are coming to reverse that situation,” he said.
Obi said the coalition was driven by principle rather than political bargaining and pledged that the NDC would focus on production, security, justice and economic renewal.
“We are not changing parties for transactions. We are here because we want to build a new Nigeria that is possible,” he added.
In his keynote address, Dickson described the convention as a watershed moment in Nigeria’s democratic evolution and said the NDC was established to preserve multiparty democracy and offer Nigerians a credible governing alternative.
“In me, you have a hard-boiled opposition operative,” Dickson said, as he recounted decades of opposition politics dating back to 1998.
He said the party’s zoning arrangement reflected a commitment to fairness and inclusion.
“We want a balanced and stable Nigeria. We do not want a Nigeria of divisions and grievances,” he stated.
Dickson also urged the judiciary, security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to safeguard democratic rights and ensure credible elections in 2027.
Kwankwaso, in his address, said Nigeria was passing through one of the most difficult periods in its history due to poor governance, insecurity and economic hardship.
“Insecurity has created widows and orphans across the land. Investments are fleeing and the education sector is collapsing,” he said.
The former Kano governor endorsed the decision to zone the presidential ticket to the South, describing it as a step toward fairness and national healing.
“This presents a true opportunity for national healing,” Kwankwaso declared.
He added that the NDC would prioritize competence over ethnic and religious considerations in leadership selection.
The convention also ratified the party’s National Working Committee and approved amendments to portions of its constitution to strengthen internal democracy and institutional stability.
Party leaders said the changes were designed to position the NDC as a long-term ideological platform rather than a temporary electoral alliance.
The event ended with chants of “A New Nigeria Is Possible” as delegates and supporters pledged to intensify mobilization ahead of the 2027 elections.
Saturday’s convention is widely seen as a significant development in Nigeria’s opposition politics, with the emergence of the NDC expected to reshape political alignments and present a formidable challenge to the ruling party in the next general election.
