NDC disowns ‘fabricated’ Kano primary election lists amid intense Kwankwasiyya mediations
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has officially disowned viral lists purporting to show the results of its primary elections in Kano and other states, warning party members and the general public to beware of a coordinated fake news campaign designed to destabilize the party.
The political space in Kano State had been thrown into confusion over the last 48 hours following widely circulated social media reports claiming that candidates loyal to the leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, had been systematically removed from the party’s winner’s list in favor of “legacy” party officials.
However, in a swift counter-offensive against the spread of misinformation, the NDC national leadership clarified that no official primary election results have been authorized or released anywhere in the country.
The fake results lists, which spread like wildfire across WhatsApp groups and Facebook political pages, suggested an escalating civil war within the newly formed opposition alliance.
READ ALSO: NO CANDIDATES WERE IMPOSED: NDC clarifies nationwide primaries, flags off reconciliation
Ever since high-profile opposition leaders integrated their massive grassroots structures—including the Obidient movement and the Kwankwasiyya movement—into the NDC, the party has become a prime target for digital disinformation. Propagandists capitalized on existing regional negotiations to manufacture highly authentic-looking candidate sheets, sparking panic among party loyalists who feared an imminent structural collapse in Kano.
In a direct response to the brewing anxiety, NDC national publicity secretary, Osa Director Esq., issued an emergency press statement urging the public to disregard the circulated documentation.
“The NDC has not released any official results of its primary elections in any state,” Director stated emphatically. “Hence, the public and party members are urged to disregard any such list in circulation.”
High-stakes interventions to combat the propaganda
NigerianSketch gathered that while the fake news successfully raised political temperatures in the ancient city, it also triggered a high-powered, late-night intervention at the national secretariat in Abuja.
A delegation representing the top national leadership of the Kwankwasiya movement went into a closed-door meeting with the NDC National Leader, His Excellency Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, alongside other members of the party’s National Working Committee.
The marathon meeting, which lasted several hours, was specifically called to dismantle the friction points being exploited by external actors and fake news merchants.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ THE NDC POWER-SHARING MATRIX │
├──────────────────────────────┬──────────────────────────────┤
│ KWANKWASIYYA BLOC │ LEGACY NDC OFFICIALS │
│ • Commands massive Kano │ • Guarding existing state │
│ grassroots base │ party party structures │
│ • Pushing for democratic │ • Demanding equity and │
│ inclusion of loyalists │ anti-hijack guarantees │
└──────────────────────────────┴──────────────────────────────┘
Democracy Over Imposition
Rather than allowing the fake lists to dictate the internal dynamic, Senator Dickson and the NDC leadership used the mediation session to outline a framework for absolute transparency.
The party high command reassured stakeholders that it would not succumb to the dictatorial tactics of candidate imposition that have fractured older political parties in Nigeria. The national secretariat reiterated that internal democracy remains the bedrock of the NDC’s 2027 strategy.
Addressing the outcome of the high-stakes intervention, Osa Director noted that “The closed-door meeting was aimed at resolving the issues between the Kwankwasiya movement and the legacy officials of NDC in Kano State. Senator Dickson and the NDC leadership are mediating in the process in order to enhance inclusion and participation by every party member. The NDC leadership will not impose candidates in Kano State, and indeed across the nation, as the party cherishes the virtues of internal democracy.”
Party insiders confirm that the meeting ended on a highly productive note, with both factions agreeing to await the official validation processes established by the national secretariat.
As digital political warfare intensifies ahead of upcoming electoral cycles, the NDC’s battle with fake primary lists serves as an early warning for voters and party faithful to verify all political documentation directly from official party organs before hitting the share button
