The Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Abdulmumin Abdulsalami, has resigned from the party, citing alleged injustice, exclusion and interference by powerful officials.\n<\/p>\n
Abdulsalami announced his decision in a letter addressed to the National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas, through his former ward chairman in Nagazi Ward, Adavi Local Government Area of Kogi State.\n<\/p>\n
In the letter, titled \u201cLetter of Resignation from the Nigeria Democratic Congress: Withdrawal from All Partisan Commitments to the Party,\u201d he said he decided to quit after realising that his contributions to the party were at odds with the interests of some influential members.\n<\/p>\n
He also cited recurring complaints over what he described as injustice and his desire to protect his peace of mind.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a foundation member of the NDC, ditto a critical formative leader in the party, I am compelled to voluntarily take the exit having realised that my sincere and positive contributions to the meteoric rise and success of the party are at odds with the vested interests of a few powerful officers who call the shots.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cMore so, this painstaking decision serves my best interest as I prioritise my peace of mind rather than recurrent complaints at the sight of a series of injustices meted out to me,\u201d he stated.\n<\/p>\n
Abdulsalami served as the NDC Protem Chairman in Kogi State before becoming Deputy National Publicity Secretary and later Deputy National Director for Labour and Civil Society.<\/p>\n
He thanked the party\u2019s National Leader, Senator Henry Dickson, for the opportunities he had been given, and acknowledged the support of colleagues, civil society activists and media practitioners who worked with him during the party\u2019s formative period.\n<\/p>\n
Asked about his next political move, Abdulsalami told The PUNCH that he was returning to private life rather than remain in a party where he felt excluded.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI am calling it quits and heading back home to avoid orchestrated melodrama of exclusion from party affairs. I love you all, but I love myself and my mental sanity most,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He, however, declined to identify the party officials he accused of frustrating his contributions.\n<\/p>\n
An insider, who spoke to The PUNCH on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, described Abdulsalami\u2019s departure as the culmination of a troubled relationship with the party leadership.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cAbdul\u2019s case is really a sad one. He has survived what I can call a toxic relationship. Despite all his efforts since the start of this NDC, he has never been paid a dime as salary or a working budget.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cSecondly, he was subtly eased out of the National Working Committee despite being a foundational member by high-ranking leaders of the party. His leaving the party, to many of us, is the only choice.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has been trying to do that since October. But the national leader of our party (Senator Seriake Dickson) kept urging him to stay back,\u201d the source said.\n<\/p>\n
However, the NDC National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, dismissed suggestions of internal wrangling, saying the resignation of one member did not indicate a crisis within the party.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no internal wrangling in the party. The exit of one person is not enough to conclude, especially as we also witness influx of a lot of people into the party every day,\u201d he told The PUNCH. <\/p>\n
Abdulsalami\u2019s resignation comes amid disagreements over the control and organisation of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, which existed before the arrival of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.\n<\/p>\n
Obi and Kwankwaso formally joined the party on May 3, 2026, after leaving the African Democratic Congress.\n<\/p>\n
At the time, the NDC already had an established political structure.\n<\/p>\n
The party\u2019s National Chairman, Cleopas Moses, confirmed this in June, saying the NDC had structures across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory before the two politicians joined. He acknowledged that their arrival added considerable value to the party but maintained that its existing structures were already in place.<\/p>\n
The relationship between the party and the political movement associated with the two politicians subsequently became a subject of disagreement.\n<\/p>\n
Barely two months ago, the NDC clashed with the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement, popularly known as the OK Movement, after the group rejected suggestions that its structures should be subsumed under the party.\n<\/p>\n
The Director-General of the movement, John Ughulu, insisted that it would not surrender its national, state, local government and ward structures to the NDC or any other organisation.\n<\/p>\n
However, the party\u2019s National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, argued that political groups should complement political parties rather than compete with them or operate parallel structures.\n<\/p>\n
Dickson, a former Bayelsa State governor, also described the movement\u2019s decision to establish a presidential campaign council as \u201cunheard of\u201d and \u201cnonsensical\u201d.\n<\/p>\n
Ughulu maintained that the OK Movement was an independent political organisation and not merely a conventional support group.\n<\/p>\n