The controversy surrounding the constitution of a campaign council within the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has continued, with the party’s national leadership distancing itself from the arrangement.
The development followed moves by some of the party’s major support groups, including the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement, to jointly constitute a campaign council ahead of the 2027 general election.
The national leadership of the party has reportedly described the development as a potential “ticking time bomb” if outstanding issues among the concerned stakeholders are not resolved before the election.
Speaking on the development, NDC chieftain, Chieftain Asukewe Ikoawaji, said political ambitions must be pursued within the rules and structure of the political party under which candidates seek to contest.
Ikoawaji said Nigeria does not have provision for independent candidates, stressing that anyone seeking elective office must do so through a political party.
“There are things you can do and there are things you cannot do. Nigeria does not have provision for independent candidates. Every Nigerian who feels or wants to contest election contests it under a political party, and each political party has a constitution and guideline.
“And for you to drive your ambition through the political party, you must abide by the rules. The truth is very clear,” he said.
The NDC chieftain, who said he was a former National Vice Chairman, South-South, of the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), said his experience in politics had shown him the problems that could arise when individuals or political organisations operate separately from their parties.
He also recalled the political experience of late former President Muhammadu Buhari, saying his previous unsuccessful presidential attempts were not because he lacked supporters or a political following.
“I am an insider. I played a major role. I was National Vice Chairman South-South of the ANPP. I was Deputy Chairman,” he said.
Ikoawaji said when efforts were made to form the All Progressives Congress (APC), it was agreed that Buhari’s political organisation would be integrated into the party.
“When we were putting APC together, we made it clear that Buhari must fuse Buhari organisation into the party. You cannot be running an organisation outside of the party,” he said.
He further argued that once a candidate receives the ticket of a political party, the candidate should work within the party’s structure rather than operate independently.
“If a party gives you a ticket, you cannot run your election outside of a party,” he said.
Ikoawaji also stressed the need for politicians to separate party activities from their personal relationships with friends, family members and other associates.
According to him, a presidential candidate and running mate should not constitute a presidential campaign structure without working in partnership with the political party.
He said the same principle should apply to governorship and other candidates contesting under the party.
Speaking specifically about the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement, Ikoawaji said there were also governorship candidates in different states seeking to work together ahead of the election.
He said the various stakeholders needed to come together and agree on how to work within the party structure.
“As I speak to you, there are also some governorship candidates in different states because they want to win election, because the APC government has failed in Nigeria, and Nigerians feel NDC is the alternative.
“That is why we are saying what we are saying, that we must come together, agree to work together, but once either the presidential candidate or the governorship candidate or other candidates you are holding decides to work outside the party, that is where the problem will come,” he said.
Ikoawaji said there had been instances in the past where political organisations operated around individual candidates rather than being fully integrated into the political party.
He said such arrangements could create problems for the party if stakeholders failed to agree on a common structure.
The NDC chieftain also called for unity among the different groups working towards the 2027 election, saying no individual could fight the political battle alone.
“There are two ways people play politics in Nigeria. There are people who believe, let us get what we can get today. They don’t care about what happens in Nigeria.
“And there are people who believe that if Nigeria is moving forward, the generation coming will be in safe hands,” he said.
Ikoawaji said his interest was in seeing a better Nigeria and disclosed that he planned to take a break from active party politics after the 2027 election.
“For myself, for example, after 2027 election, I will take a break from the party and politics, but we want to see a new Nigeria.
“That is why we are saying let us come together. Nobody alone can fight this battle,” he said.
