NDC promises transparent primaries, unveils election guidelines

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has released the timetable for its 2027 primary elections, announcing that presidential aspirants seeking the party’s ticket will pay a total of N60 million for nomination and expression of interest forms.

The disclosure was made on Tuesday by the party’s National Chairman, Moses Cleopas, in a statement issued in Abuja as the NDC intensified preparations ahead of the next general elections.

According to the timetable, the sale of forms will begin from May 13 to May 18, while screening exercises for aspirants will follow immediately after.

“The sale of nomination forms will commence immediately after the screening exercise from Thursday, May 21 to Saturday, May 23, 2026, while completed forms must be submitted on or before Monday, May 25,” the statement read.

Cleopas further stated that appeals arising from the screening exercise would be heard on May 25 and 26, while primaries for various elective positions are scheduled for May 27 and 28.

He added that the party’s presidential primary election would hold on May 29, 2026, in Abuja.

The NDC chairman explained that aspirants for state Houses of Assembly would be screened in their respective states, while screenings for National Assembly and presidential aspirants would take place at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.

According to him, all aspirants would be required to sign an undertaking in line with the party’s code of conduct and internal guidelines.

The party also announced the adoption of the “open secret ballot” system for its primaries, which it said was designed to strengthen credibility, fairness, and internal democracy within the process.

Under the approved fee structure released by the party, aspirants for state Houses of Assembly are expected to pay N2.5 million, while House of Representatives aspirants will pay N6 million.

Senatorial aspirants are to pay N8 million, while governorship aspirants will pay N30 million for both forms.

“For the presidency, aspirants will pay N20 million for the expression of interest form and N40 million for the nomination form, bringing the total cost to N60 million,” Cleopas stated.

The party also announced fee reductions for special categories, disclosing that female aspirants and persons living with disabilities would enjoy discounted rates across all categories.

According to the statement, female aspirants will pay 50 per cent of the approved fees, while persons living with disabilities will pay only 25 per cent.

The NDC maintained that its nomination fees remain relatively lower than those charged by many major political parties and reaffirmed its commitment to conducting transparent and credible primaries capable of producing competent candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.