*As directs states to compile party agents
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has announced that it’s Presidential Campaign will kick-off in October.
The party has also commenced preparations for the deployment of party agents ahead of the 2027 general elections, directing its state and local government chairmen to begin compiling and harmonising lists of agents for the presidential, National Assembly, governorship and State Assembly elections.
The directive comes more than a month after the statutory window for public campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections opened on August 19, 2026.
The NDC directive, contained in a statement signed by Osa Director, Esq., on behalf of the party on Monday, September 21, said the National Executive Committee (NEC) had instructed all state and LGA chairmen to immediately convene meetings with candidates and relevant stakeholders.
“In line with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026, the National Executive Committee (NEC) has directed all State Chairmen and Local Government Area (LGA) Chairmen to immediately convene meetings with candidates and relevant stakeholders in their respective states.
“The purpose of the meeting is to collate and harmonize the list of party agents to be deployed for the forthcoming general elections” NDC states.
With the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, the campaign period consequently opened on August 19.
The directive requires the party to prepare two categories of agents — one for the National Assembly elections and another for the governorship and State Assembly elections.
The lists are to be scrutinised and ratified by the party leadership, including the presidential candidate and his running mate, before the commencement of training.
The party further directed that the final list of agents must be counter-signed by the relevant state chairman and candidates to authenticate the names and establish ownership of the lists.
It, however, provided that where disagreements arise between the party leadership and a candidate over the choice of agents, the candidate’s choice would prevail.
The NDC gave its state and LGA structures two weeks from the date of the directive to complete the exercise and submit the final lists.
The development comes as political parties enter the formal campaign period for the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections. INEC’s revised timetable fixed January 16, 2027, for the presidential and National Assembly polls, while the governorship and State Assembly elections are scheduled for February 6, 2027.
Although political parties and candidates have engaged in various political activities and mobilisation ahead of the elections, the NDC’s latest directive focuses on the operational structures required for election-day representation, particularly the recruitment, verification and training of party agents.
The party said the exercise was part of its preparations to ensure that its agents were properly positioned across polling units and other stages of the electoral process.
The NDC also declared that it was prepared for what it described as a robust, issue-based campaign, claiming that the necessary structures were being put in place across the country.
However, nearly five weeks after the legal commencement of the presidential campaign period, the NDC is yet to publicly unveil a comprehensive membership of its presidential campaign organisation.
The party’s latest statement focuses on the mobilisation and deployment of polling agents rather than the formal inauguration or publication of a presidential campaign council.
The absence of a publicly released list of the NDC presidential campaign team is notable because the party is already within the statutory period for presidential campaigning.
The NDC urged its members, supporters and other stakeholders to comply with the directive and cooperate with the party structures in completing the agent-selection exercise within the stipulated two-week period.
The party said the continued commitment of its members and supporters would be essential to its preparations for the 2027 elections.
