The six governorship candidates of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in the North-East have rejected former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, as the party’s zonal leader, saying they were not consulted before his appointment.

The candidates from Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe said they would not recognise Lawal as their regional leader or accept any directives, meetings or statements issued by him in that capacity.

They argued that a position with responsibility for coordinating the party’s affairs across the six states should be based on broad consultation and acceptance by relevant stakeholders in the region.

The development has opened a fresh dispute within the opposition party over its leadership structure in the North-East, barely months before the 2027 general elections.

The candidates said the national leadership should engage stakeholders in the region and resolve the matter, insisting that they could not be bound by a leadership arrangement they said was imposed without consultation.

Their position followed Lawal’s emergence in the role after joining the NDC and being assigned responsibility for the party’s activities and campaigns in the North-East.

The six candidates maintained that Lawal had not been mandated to speak on their behalf, issue directives to them, convene meetings or represent their collective interests.

Lawal, however, has defended his emergence, saying his appointment was made by the national leadership of the NDC.

The disagreement has consequently shifted attention from Lawal’s defection to the party to the question of who has the authority to coordinate its political activities across the North-East.

The six candidates have now called on the NDC national leadership to consult widely with stakeholders in the zone and address the disagreement before it affects the party’s preparations for the 2027 elections.