The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has opened its doors to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and other opposition politicians, asking them to fold into the alliance backing Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Ibrahim Abdulkarim, Director-General of the NDC Presidential Campaign Council, made the call during an interview on Arise News.
He said the opposition must unite behind one platform to stand a real chance against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“The opposition has to come together for us to win,” Abdulkarim said. “The opposition have already come together.”
The coalition, he explained, is already taking shape inside the NDC.
Obi has emerged as the presidential candidate, while Kwankwaso agreed to serve as his running mate after dropping his own ambition.
“Nobody said the coalition must happen on ADC,” Abdulkarim said. “It can happen in NDC, and Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has already dropped his ambition.”
The NDC campaign chief said Atiku and other opposition leaders were welcome to broaden the alliance’s national spread.
The former vice-president, now presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has not responded but is unlikely to yield.
“What we are asking for is for other people to join us, including former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, to join all of us, so at least we will have the spread that they think they can add,” Abdulkarim continued.
A Party and Its Support Groups
Abdulkarim also pushed back against criticism of the party’s campaign structures. Critics had compared the NDC’s organisation unfavourably with the Obidient movement and other support groups backing Obi.
“How can you compare a party with a support group?” he asked. “We don’t have any problem. They’re all part of the NDC party. We have more than a thousand support groups like that.”
The NDC was formally inaugurated ahead of the 2027 polls, with a national campaign council chaired by Senator Seriake Dickson and Obi as co-chairman.
The party has since unveiled a national secretariat in Abuja.
On electoral integrity, Abdulkarim told Nigerians who fear their votes may not count to back the NDC. He promised the party had built measures to protect votes during the 2027 elections.
“We are going to do our campaign peacefully. We are going to go into every corner,” he said.
He added that the party would reassure voters before the election that their ballots would be safeguarded.
“I can promise anybody, anybody that feels he wants his vote to count, we have a very, very unique and serious programme that we have put in place,” Abdulkarim said.
The Road to 2027
The invitation to Atiku comes as opposition parties jostle to build a unified front against the APC.
Obi, a former Anambra State governor, ran on the Labour Party ticket in 2023 and finished third. Kwankwaso, a former Kano State governor, ran on the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) ticket.
Their merger under the NDC represents one of the most significant opposition realignments since the last general election.
However, the alliance still faces questions about its national reach, particularly in the North-West and North-East, where Atiku retains substantial influence.
The NDC’s campaign council includes Senator Victor Umeh, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir Lawal, and a 40-member advisory council.
The party said it plans an issue-based campaign focused on security, the economy, and corruption.
Abdulkarim’s appeal suggests, at least, the NDC sees Atiku as a bridge to northern voters.
