A former governorship aspirant of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Philip Johnson, has resigned from the party, accusing its leadership of manipulating the outcome of the Taraba State governorship primary election ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a resignation letter addressed to the Taraba State Chairman of the NDC, Johnson alleged that he legitimately emerged victorious in the governorship primary conducted across the state’s 16 local government areas but was subsequently denied the ticket through what he described as the alteration of election results.
According to him, the primary election was conducted peacefully and transparently, with results collated from the various local government areas indicating that he secured the highest number of votes.
Johnson claimed, however, that at the stage of officially declaring the outcome, members of the party’s congress panel announced that the final results would be released in Abuja following instructions from the party’s National Secretariat.
He alleged that the results were later changed in favour of another aspirant whom he said he had defeated during the exercise.
The former aspirant further stated that he explored all internal avenues available within the party to seek redress but received no response from the leadership.
Johnson accused the party of abandoning the democratic principles, fairness and justice upon which it was founded, arguing that his complaints were ignored while the aspirant declared winner continued to enjoy the backing of party officials.
“It is unfortunate that a party which presented itself as a platform for progressive change and democratic values has chosen to embrace the very practices it was expected to reject,” he said in the resignation letter.
The politician, who joined the NDC in April 2026 alongside a large number of supporters, announced that his resignation takes immediate effect.
His departure is expected to generate fresh political discussions within the party and could influence political alignments in Taraba State as preparations for the 2027 elections gather momentum.
As of the time of this report, the NDC leadership has not publicly responded to the allegations made by Johnson. The party has also not issued an official statement clarifying the outcome of the disputed governorship primary election in Taraba State.
