JALINGO, Taraba State – A former governorship aspirant of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) in Taraba State, Philip Johnson, has resigned from the party, alleging that the governorship primary election was manipulated against him .
In a resignation letter addressed to the Taraba State Chairman of the NDC, Johnson claimed that he legitimately won the party's governorship primary election conducted across the state's 16 local government areas but was later denied victory through what he described as an alteration of results .
According to the embattled aspirant, the primary election was conducted peacefully and transparently, with the collation of results indicating that he emerged victorious . However, he alleged that at the point of official declaration, the party's congress panel announced that the final results would be declared in Abuja on the directive of the National Secretariat .
Johnson further alleged that the outcome was subsequently changed in favour of another aspirant whom he claimed to have defeated at the polls .
Internal Redress Ignored
The former aspirant stated that he pursued all available internal mechanisms within the party to seek redress but received no response from the leadership . He accused the party of abandoning the principles of justice, fairness, and democratic values upon which it was founded, lamenting that the declared candidate continued to enjoy the support of the party leadership while his complaints were ignored .
"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," Johnson stated in the letter .
A Short-Lived Alliance
Johnson, who joined the NDC in April 2026 alongside his supporters, announced that his resignation takes immediate effect . The development is expected to trigger fresh political debates within the NDC and could have significant implications for the party's fortunes in Taraba State as preparations for the 2027 elections gather momentum .
Party Yet to Respond
As of the time of filing this report, the leadership of the NDC has neither issued an official response to the allegations raised by Johnson nor announced who won the governorship primary election in Taraba State . The silence from the party's national secretariat is likely to fuel further speculation about the integrity of the primary process.
Broader Context
The NDC has been actively recruiting high-profile politicians ahead of the 2027 elections. In May 2026, the party welcomed prominent defectors from the APC, PRP, and NNPP, including Prof. Mohammed Sani Yahaya, the 2023 NNPP governorship candidate in Taraba State, who pledged grassroots mobilisation for the party . The irony of Johnson's departure following these high-profile defections underscores the internal challenges facing the emerging political platform.
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