Oriontimes Newsroom| September 23, 2026
KADUNA — The controversy surrounding the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) primary election for the Kawo Constituency of the Kaduna State House of Assembly has deepened, with aggrieved party members issuing a fresh demand for the recognition of Rakiya Baba Mohammed as the party’s candidate.
The group accused party officials of attempting to overturn what they described as Rakiya’s victory at the May 29, 2026 primary.
In a third open letter addressed to the national leadership of the NDC and dated September 23, 2026, read; OPEN LETTER 3:
To the National Leadership of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC).
From the Supporters of Rakiya Baba Mohammed.
To whom it may concern.
We, the resolute and unbroken supporters of Rakiya Baba Mohammed, address this open letter to the National Leadership of the Nigerian Democratic Congress, with absolute clarity and unyielding resolve. We state without apology or dilution: the mandate of Rakiya Baba Mohammed was stolen. That stolen mandate remains hers by right, by the will of the people who chose her, and by the principles the NDC claims to uphold. We demand its immediate and unconditional recovery.
Let it be known to every individual and every structure that participated in, enabled, or continues to protect this theft: the stolen mandate of Rakiya Baba Mohammed will choke those who stole it. It will choke them in the court of public opinion. It will choke them in the court of law. It will choke them before the conscience of this party and the nation. We are determined to expose the full measure of their criminality in court, and we will not rest until every act of fraud, every manipulation, every betrayal of the democratic process is laid bare.
Our willingness to recover this mandate is unlimited. There is no fatigue in our ranks. There is no retreat in our purpose. We will intensify every legitimate effort legally, politically, and publicly until the stolen mandate is restored to Rakiya Baba Mohammed.We reject any attempt to sanitise, bury, or negotiate away this injustice. This is a follow-up open letter 3. We write again because the earlier demand for the restoration of the legitimate mandate of Rakiya Baba Mohammed remains unanswered. Silence and continued delay are no longer acceptable.
Rakiya Baba Mohammed emerged clear winner of the NDC primary election for Kawo Constituency, Kaduna State House of Assembly, held on 29 May 2026. She secured 225 votes against Yunusa Mohammed Salisu’s 132 votes. The results were compiled, endorsed by the Returning Officer, an INEC official, and security representatives present. The will of the delegates was unambiguous.Yet reports indicate that party officials later sought to alter or disregard those results and hand the nomination form to the defeated aspirant, the son of Yunusa Tanko, Interim National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide.
Stakeholders who travelled to Abuja were allegedly informed that the results had been changed and that the Kaduna State Chairman had been instructed to transfer the form. This is not internal party administration. This is the theft of a mandate won at the grassroots. It is favouritism dressed as process. It is the very practice the NDC claims to reject.
Rakiya secured 225 votes in the primary election, while her rival polled 132 votes. Sadly, we have been reliably informed that some party officials substituted her with Yunusa Mohammed Salisu, whom she defeated in the May 29, 2026 primary election, and we are aware that the decision has been influenced by the candidate's father, Yunusa Tanko, Interim National Coordinator of Obidient Movement Worldwide.
We warned in our earlier letter that justice delayed is justice denied. That warning still stands. Every additional day without clear, public restoration of Rakiya Baba Mohammed’s rightful ticket deepens the injury and multiplies the political cost. The consequences of continued inaction are now plain: It will become a full-blown political scandal that damages the NDC’s credibility as a party of fairness and internal democracy. It will confirm the charge that powerful external interests and personal connections override the votes of ordinary party members. It will alienate women, youth, and grassroots supporters who expect the party to protect those who win fairly. It will hand opponents a ready-made narrative of hypocrisy that will follow the party into the 2027 elections.
NDC cannot preach party supremacy, loyalty, and respect for the people’s will while allowing a primary victory to be overturned by backdoor manoeuvres. Restoring the mandate is not a favour. It is the minimum requirement of integrity.
We therefore demand, once more and with greater urgency:
1) Immediate and public recognition of Rakiya Baba Mohammed as the duly elected NDC candidate for Kawo Constituency.
2) Immediate release and forwarding of her nomination forms to the relevant authorities without further interference.
3) A clear statement from the National Leadership rejecting any attempt to substitute or alter the primary results.
An end to all actions that undermine the outcome of the 29 May 2026 primary.
The National Leadership of the NDC cannot claim moral or political authority while this open wound remains. Silence is complicity. Delay is endorsement. Any continued protection of those who orchestrated or benefited from the theft will be met with relentless exposure and accountability.
We stand firmly with Rakiya Baba Mohammed. Her mandate is not for sale, not for compromise, and not for erasure. We will recover it.
The stolen mandate will choke those who stole it.
We are determined.
We are organised.
We are relentless.
Signed;
Comrade. Silas Matthew Jonathan.
Garba sani ‐ kawo ward.
Abdullahi jumaare - hanyin banki ward.
Comrade mukhtar shehu - kawo ward
Abdulmalik Hassan - ungwan dosa ward.
Comrade M. Bello - ungwan shanu/abakwa ward.
Hauwa Mohammed - badarawa/malali ward.
On behalf of
aggrieved members of the NDC, Kaduna State, In defence of democracy, internal party justice, and the legitimate mandate of Rakiya Baba Mohammed.
0 Comments
Join the conversation!
Have insights, corrections, or questions about this news story? Drop your comment below. We value civil, fact-based discussion.