KADUNA — The Kaduna State chapter of the newly registered National Democratic Congress (NDC) has formally declared its support for a proposed joint presidential ticket featuring Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso. The party has vowed to build a formidable front to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) at both the state and national levels.
The endorsement was announced during the NDC's first expanded joint executive committee meeting in Kaduna. The high-profile gathering brought together local government and ward chairmen, organizational executives, and prospective aspirants from all 23 local government areas of the state.
Addressing the party faithful, the Kaduna State Chairman of the NDC, Mordecai Ibrahim, positioned the party as a vehicle of "genuine hope" for citizens currently facing tough economic realities. He criticized successive APC administrations for steering the country into prolonged economic hardship and security challenges.
"We all know that the APC has dragged Nigeria and Nigerians 50 years backwards since it assumed power in 2015," Ibrahim stated. "Nigerians are indeed groaning today under President Bola Tinubu’s administration like the children of Israel groaned under Pharaoh’s slavery."
Building a Grassroots Network
To back its political ambitions with numbers, the NDC has been quietly laying groundwork across the state. The party leadership revealed that functional administrative structures have already been set up across all 255 electoral wards in Kaduna State.
Looking to expand its footprint rapidly before the third quarter of the year, the party has tripled its local recruitment targets. The executive committee raised its membership drive goal from 500 to 1,500 individuals per ward, aiming to register at least 1.5 million members across Kaduna State by October 31.
To ensure internal party discipline and loyalty, Chairman Ibrahim issued a strict directive to politicians defecting from other platforms. Moving forward, cross-carpeting politicians must formally present official resignation letters from their previous political parties before they can clear the screening process to contest elective positions under the NDC banner.
A Powerful Combination for Nigerian Youths
Speaking to reporters after the closed-door session, an ICT expert and prominent Kaduna governorship aspirant, Ibrahim Abdulkarim, emphasized that the meeting focused heavily on prioritizing party cohesion over personal ambition.
Abdulkarim further revealed that the influential "Obidient movement" has strategically aligned with the party on a national scale. He claimed that Peter Obi has already secured the NDC’s foundational presidential ticket, with ongoing high-level negotiations positioned to seal former Kano State Governor, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, as the vice-presidential running mate.
"At least if you have these two people, every young man and young woman in Nigeria will believe this is exactly the kind of combination we want people who care about education and are trying to lift young people," Abdulkarim noted.
Beyond national politics, the governorship hopeful expressed deep concern over growing religious polarization within Kaduna State. He urged residents to reject divisive politics, stating that the party's primary goal is to restore the state's historical diversity as a unique economic and social strength rather than a source of conflict.
A major opposition alliance is taking shape in the North ahead of the next general elections.
