A fresh dispute has emerged within the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, over its governorship ticket in Plateau State, with former governor Jonah Jang and the party’s vice-presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, reportedly divided over a possible replacement candidate.

The crisis came less than 24 hours before the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, was expected to publish the names of governorship and State Assembly candidates for the 2027 election.

The party reportedly submitted the name of its state chairman, Yakubu Ndam, as a placeholder after the purported suspension of Da Jonathan Sunday Akuns, who had emerged unopposed from the party’s direct primary in the state.

NDC North Central National Vice Chairman, Barnabas Ejisi, and Ndam were said to have been working to find a substantive replacement for Ndam.

The search reportedly led party stakeholders to former Plateau governor Jonah Jang, with efforts made to move Garba Sunday Biggs, a preferred candidate of Jang’s faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, into the NDC.

However, Jang reportedly rejected the proposal when Kwankwaso visited him at his Abuja residence to celebrate his 80th birthday.

A close ally of Jang said the former governor recalled Kwankwaso’s alleged failure to support him during the 2015 contest for the chairmanship of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, where Rotimi Amaechi defeated him by 18 votes to 15.

The dispute was reportedly among issues being considered by the NDC’s Northern Zonal Reconciliation Sub-Committee, which was set up to address complaints and disagreements arising from the party’s primary elections and state structures.

With INEC expected to release the final list of governorship candidates, it remained uncertain whether the NDC would field a candidate in Plateau State or leave incumbent governor Caleb Mutfwang of the All Progressives Congress, APC, with a less competitive re-election contest.