Plateau NDC split deepens as camps produce parallel governorship candidates

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Plateau State is in crisis, with rival factions laying claim to the party’s ticket for the 2027 governorship election.

The dispute has produced two names: Jonathan Akuns, who emerged unopposed at the party’s May 29 governorship primary and is recognised by the national leadership, and Alfred Damiyal, whom the state chapter affirmed as its candidate in a separate exercise in September.

The development has raised questions over who will ultimately represent the party in the February 2027 governorship election.

The latest crisis followed an attempt by the national leadership to formalise Mr Akuns’ candidacy through a substitution/affirmation exercise conducted in Jos on 15 September.

But the state chairman, Solomon Ndam, rejected the national delegation’s process and proceeded with a separate exercise that produced Mr Damiyal.

On 16 September, the state chapter publicly affirmed Mr Damiyal as its candidate and Mwadkon Vincent as his running mate.

The affirmation was held at the party’s secretariat in Jos and was reportedly witnessed by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Mr Damiyal subsequently presented his development blueprint, identifying security, education, employment, agriculture, economic development and infrastructure as key areas of focus.

How the dispute started

Mr Akuns was the sole aspirant at the NDC’s May 29 governorship primary after, according to party sources, purchasing the expression-of-interest and nomination forms and completing the screening process.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the forms cost ₦30 million and that Mr Akuns was nominated unopposed.

However, the party later listed Mr Ndam as its candidate in a publication released by the national leadership.

That development generated opposition within the party and eventually led to a push for another exercise to regularise the Plateau ticket.

The national leadership subsequently sent its National Auditor, Oluwole Adedapo, to Jos to conduct what it described as a substitution or affirmation exercise.

Mr Adedapo said Mr Akuns emerged unopposed because he remained the only aspirant recognised in the process.

He also maintained that the conduct of governorship primaries was the responsibility of the national leadership and not the state chapter.

The Plateau chapter disagreed.

Mr Ndam proceeded with a parallel process involving party officials and delegates, ultimately producing Mr Damiyal.

Who is Alfred Damiyal?

Mr Damiyal contested the governorship primary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in May 2026 under the name Alfred Ali Dapal and reportedly polled 5,036 votes.

He has been involved in public commentary on Plateau’s development challenges for several years.

In a 2022 article, he argued that unemployment, poverty, and limited economic opportunities were contributing to insecurity in the state.

Mr Damiyal called for greater investment in agriculture, industrialisation, infrastructure and job creation, while also arguing that Plateau needed to create productive opportunities for young people.

He specifically pointed to the potential of agriculture, mineral resources and moribund industries as areas that could generate employment and stimulate economic activity.

His professional background is in the energy sector.

A profile published about him says he has worked in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry and has experience in technical and management roles.

The profile also identifies him as an entrepreneur involved in agriculture and other businesses.

These claims are based on a profile published by a political platform and would require independent verification before being presented as a fact.

What Dapal says he will do

At the September affirmation, Mr Damiyal’s campaign presented a development agenda centred on restoring peace and improving the state’s economic and social conditions.

Education, employment, agriculture, infrastructure and economic development were listed among his priorities.

His representatives also argued that Plateau required a fundamental change in its approach to governance, saying old methods would not adequately address the state’s emerging challenges.

The emphasis on security and employment is significant given Plateau’s prolonged security challenges and the economic pressures facing many communities across the state.

But the immediate challenge for Mr Damiyal is not only communicating his policy agenda.

He is the candidate of the state chapter at a time when the national leadership of the same party insists that another person holds the ticket.

Akuns’s claim

Mr Akuns’s candidacy is backed by the NDC national leadership, which says he won the party’s May primary unopposed and subsequently emerged from the national leadership’s September process.

The party’s National Secretary, Ikenna Enekweizu, said the national leadership had forwarded Mr Akuns’ name to INEC.

He said any submission outside the one authorised by the appropriate national officers would be challenged.

The national leadership has therefore rejected the state chapter’s attempt to recognise Mr Damiyal.

The dispute has also attracted calls for intervention from political stakeholders.

The Middle Belt Young Political Stakeholders, for instance, called on the NDC’s national leadership to intervene in the dispute and prevent what the group described as an attempt to undermine the outcome of the original primary.

The group argued that conducting another primary after an unopposed candidate had emerged could expose the party to legal complications.

Party divided before campaigns

The disagreement has exposed a wider division within the NDC’s Plateau structure.

While the state leadership has moved ahead with Mr Damiyal and his running mate, the national leadership maintains that Mr Akuns is its legitimate candidate.

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The competing positions have also produced different accounts of which body has the authority to conduct or validate the relevant process.

The national leadership says governorship primaries are its responsibility, while the Plateau chapter says INEC monitored its own process.

Mr Ndam has denied wrongdoing and maintained that the state-level exercise was valid.

The national leadership, however, has said it will not recognise a governorship primary conducted by the state chapter without its authorisation.

For the NDC, the dispute goes beyond the identities of Mr Akuns and Mr Damiyal.

It raises questions about the party’s internal organisation, the authority of its national and state structures and whether the competing factions can reach an agreement before the 2027 election.

For Plateau voters, the immediate issue is simpler: Who will eventually appear as the NDC’s governorship candidate?

At present, the answer remains contested.

The national leadership recognises Mr Akuns, while the Plateau State chapter has affirmed Mr Damiyal.

The resolution of the dispute will ultimately determine which of the two names the party can lawfully present as its candidate as the 2027 governorship election approaches.