NDC raises alarm over alleged APC-sponsored aspirants

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) on Thursday alleged that several aspirants seeking political offices on its platform are covertly sponsored by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The party revealed it has already identified and confronted the affected individuals, vowing that none of them will secure the party’s tickets ahead of the primaries scheduled for Friday.

Speaking on *Sunrise Daily*, a Channels Television programme, the National Publicity Secretary of the NDC, Mr. Osa Director, said the party is determined to prevent infiltration by political opportunists and agents planted by the ruling party.

Director also warned that the NDC is not a “special-purpose vehicle” for any individual, insisting that no aspirant will be allowed to ride on the popularity of the Peter Obi-Rabiu Kwankwaso alliance merely to secure votes or political relevance. He emphasized that only aspirants with a verifiable political pedigree and a demonstrated commitment to the party’s core values will be considered.

“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,” Director said. “During the screening, even though we did not disqualify any person, we confronted some of those aspirants.
“We know from our intelligence that there are aspirants within the NDC who are being sponsored by the ruling party across various states. Those individuals already know they are not getting the ticket because we know they are moles planted in the party.”

Director further cited the party’s national leader, Seriake Dickson, who previously stated that the NDC would not serve as a tool for politicians seeking personal advantage.

“We are ensuring that we communicate to members that this is not a special multipurpose vehicle. We have measures in place to checkmate these opportunistic charlatans who may want to take advantage of the NDC,” he added.

Addressing the influx of aspirants looking to capitalize on the Obi-Kwankwaso political wave, Director noted that the party has learned hard lessons from the recent history of the Labour Party (LP) and will not repeat its mistakes.

“We are not following the playbook of the Labour Party. Only an inexperienced person fails to learn from history,” Director said. “During our screening, we took particular notice of the fact that a lot of people—especially from the diaspora, who have never participated in politics—rushed to pick forms under the NDC platform, hoping to ride the Obi-Kwankwaso wave.

“They see that the NDC is a vibrant alternative platform to the mess we are experiencing in the country today. We are highly conscious of that, and we are managing it carefully.”