Eid Traffic & Stranded Aspirants Won’t Stop Our Primaries, Says NDC – Vote Goes Ahead May 29

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has made it clear that its presidential, National Assembly, governorship, and state assembly primaries will hold today, May 29, as originally planned despite the travel chaos caused by the Eid-el-Kabri holidays.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the party’s National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas, explained that the holiday period created serious transportation and logistical headaches. Flights became unavailable, leaving many aspirants and screening committee members stranded in Abuja right after the screening exercise.

So instead of holding primaries on May 28 as earlier scheduled, the party decided to use that day for arrivals, documentation with INEC and security agencies, consultative meetings, and other prep work. State-level party teams were also told to use May 28 for meetings with stakeholders, elders, and aspirants.

However, Cleopas issued a strong warning: no state institution or security agency including the Police, DSS, or INEC should take part in any of the May 28 activities. Anything outside the party’s approved guidelines, he said, would be treated as illegal and unauthorized.

For today, May 29, the order of exercises will be:

· Presidential affirmation

· National Assembly primaries/affirmations

· State Assembly primaries/affirmations

· Governorship primaries/affirmations

The party also directed that all results from the states must be collated and sent to the national headquarters, where the National Working Committee will officially announce them. No state executive or team is allowed to announce any result on their own.

Cleopas appealed to members and aspirants to stay peaceful and orderly, stressing that the NDC will not tolerate violence, disorder, or hooliganism during the primaries.

For a better society.