Nigeria’s newest major opposition party has a big name problem — and it starts in the North.
Speaking on Arise News, a political analyst identified as Sambo said the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) currently has functional party structures in only a handful of northern states, warning that the party’s 2027 ambitions could be seriously undermined if it fails to fix its grassroots foundation fast.
“Only a few states in the North have NDC structures,” he said plainly.
The NDC, which counts Peter Obi and former Kano Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso among its most prominent members, was only officially registered by INEC in February 2026 — making it one of the youngest political parties in Nigeria heading into a general election cycle.
Sambo said the party’s priority must be widening consultations and building real presence beyond the few states where it currently has roots. He also issued a pointed strategic advice: if the NDC wants to stand out in a crowded political space, it must fully embrace its youth identity.
Position young people at the front, he urged — not just as supporters, but as actual leaders within the party’s structure. That, he argued, is the one thing neither the APC nor the other established parties are offering young Nigerians right now.
With 2027 less than a year away, the NDC is running out of time to turn political momentum into organised boots on the ground — especially in the North, where winning elections is often decided not at the top of the ballot, but deep in local structures the party does not yet have.
- Arise TV