The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) of orchestrating a campaign of rumours and propaganda aimed at undermining its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The party alleged that the purported campaign was designed to portray Obi and Kwankwaso as secretly working for President Bola Tinubu or preparing to abandon their presidential ambition in favour of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
In a statement signed by Agada Abuh Theophilus, Director of New Media and Strategic Communications, the NDC described the allegations as baseless fabrications intended to damage the credibility of its leadership, create divisions within its ranks and weaken its chances in the forthcoming elections.
The party said it had taken note of Kwankwaso’s recent response to the allegations and urged its members and supporters to refrain from spreading unverified claims capable of undermining confidence in the party’s presidential ticket.
According to the NDC, APC members and their alleged collaborators within the ADC had repeatedly circulated claims that Obi and Kwankwaso were secretly working for Tinubu and the APC, despite the party’s insistence that it remained committed to challenging the ruling party in 2027.
The NDC warned that the alleged campaign could intensify in the coming days and weeks, insisting that its principal candidates were being targeted to distract them from mobilising support for their presidential ticket across the country.
“From intelligence available to the NDC leadership, this malicious campaign, rumours and propaganda against Senator Seriake Dickson, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, Babachir Lawal, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, and even the Presidential Candidate himself, Mr. Peter Obi, is set to be heightened in the coming days and weeks,” the statement said.
The party urged its members to remain vigilant against what it described as a coordinated attempt to discredit its leadership and weaken its political influence ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
It further alleged that those behind the purported campaign were seeking to distract key figures associated with the party’s political project and prevent them from concentrating on building nationwide support for the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket.
The NDC claimed that one of the most damaging rumours being circulated was that Obi would eventually withdraw from the presidential race in favour of Atiku and accept the position of Secretary to the Government of the Federation if the former vice-president won the election.
The party dismissed the allegation as an attempt to create confusion among supporters and portray its presidential candidate as lacking the commitment to pursue his own electoral ambition.
“These are pure fabrications,” the NDC said, insisting that the claims were part of an alleged effort to undermine the party’s presidential ticket and weaken public confidence in its candidates.
The party also accused the ADC of being unhappy with the political arrangement that provided Obi with a platform to contest the presidency under the NDC.
According to the statement, the ADC had previously pursued a political arrangement involving Atiku as its presidential candidate and Obi as his running mate.
The NDC alleged that the decision to accommodate Obi and offer him its presidential ticket disrupted those political calculations, triggering attacks against individuals associated with the party’s presidential project.
It maintained that the rumours surrounding Obi’s alleged plan to step down for Atiku were intended to revive speculation about a possible political alliance between the two politicians and create uncertainty about the direction of the NDC’s campaign.
The party warned that the alleged attacks could continue as the election approached, urging members not to allow unverified claims to undermine their confidence in the party’s leadership or its presidential candidates.
The NDC also expressed concern that some of its members had allegedly embraced and circulated the claims, thereby contributing to criticism of the party’s leadership from within its own ranks.
It cautioned that members who repeated unverified allegations risked becoming instruments in what it described as an attempt to destabilise the party internally.
The party reaffirmed its commitment to the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket, insisting that its leadership remained focused on challenging the APC and presenting Nigerians with what it described as competent, people-centred leadership.
“The NDC hereby reaffirms its unequivocal commitment to the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket,” the statement said.
It called on party members, Obi’s supporters and other Nigerians sympathetic to its political project to disregard claims that the presidential candidate and his running mate were secretly working for Tinubu or preparing to abandon their ambition in favour of Atiku.
The NDC further urged its supporters to remain united, resist attempts to sow division within its ranks and concentrate on mobilising support for its presidential ticket across the country’s geopolitical zones.
“We are not in this election merely to contest; we are in it to decisively end the era of the APC and to deliver qualitative, competent, and people-centred leadership to Nigerians,” the statement added.
The party concluded by urging its members to remain focused on its electoral objectives and avoid actions that could undermine its unity as it prepares to challenge the ruling APC in the 2027 general elections.