The Nigeria Democratic Congressman (NDC) has scheduled its third National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting for Monday, October 26, 2026, in Abuja, where it plans to unveil its National Campaign Council, present Certificates of Return to its candidates and disclose the party’s statement of account.

The party also says approximately 80 per cent of its candidates could not afford its Expression of Interest forms because of the country’s economic hardship, prompting the party to provide the forms to them free of charge.

The claims were contained in a statement issued on Saturday by the NDC National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director. The party said the NEC meeting would demonstrate its commitment to financial transparency and accountability as political parties prepare for the 2027 general elections.

According to the statement, the meeting will begin at 10 a.m. at JD Event Centre, Kashim Ibrahim Way, opposite A-Class Park, Maitama, Abuja.

NDC to Present Statement of Account

The party said a major item on the NEC agenda would be the presentation of its statement of account by the National Treasurer.

It described the decision as part of its commitment to openness in managing party finances and challenged other political parties, particularly the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), to disclose their financial records in a similar manner.

“For the NDC, it is no longer politics as usual,” the statement said.

The proposed disclosure comes as political parties face questions about campaign financing, nomination fees, fundraising and the sources of money used to support their operations.

However, the NDC’s announcement does not yet establish the contents or scope of the financial statement it intends to present. Its transparency claim can be assessed more fully once the statement is made available, including whether it covers income, expenditure, donations, outstanding obligations and the period under review.

The party has not, in the statement, provided details of the figures expected to be disclosed.

Party Says 80% of Candidates Received Free Forms

The NDC attributed its limited financial resources partly to the economic conditions facing its candidates.

According to the party, about 80 per cent of its candidates could not afford to pay for Expression of Interest forms. It said it therefore issued the forms to the affected aspirants without charge to enable them to participate in its electoral process.

The party argued that its financial position had been misunderstood amid public speculation, maintaining that the decision to waive the fees was driven by the economic difficulties experienced by prospective candidates.

“Our finances would have been more robust. However, contrary to speculations in the public domain, and due to the level of poverty, hunger and deprivation in the country occasioned by the rudderless APC and its amorphous economic policies, about 80% of our candidates could not afford the Expression of Interest forms,” the statement said.

The description of the administration’s economic policies as “rudderless” reflects the NDC’s political position and is not an independently established finding.

The party did not specify the total number of candidates covered by the reported 80 per cent figure, the cost of the forms, the total revenue forgone or the value of the forms issued free of charge.

Those details would help clarify the financial implications of the decision and the scale of the support provided to candidates.

National Campaign Council to Cover All Electoral Levels

The NEC meeting will also feature the unveiling of the NDC’s National Campaign Council (NCC).

The party said the council would cover four broad electoral categories: the presidential election, National Assembly elections, governorship elections and State Houses of Assembly elections.

The arrangement is intended to bring the party’s campaign structures for the different offices under a coordinated framework ahead of the 2027 elections.

The announcement did not identify the individuals who will head the various campaign structures or provide a detailed breakdown of their responsibilities. Those details may emerge when the council is formally unveiled.

The party also said its candidates would receive Certificates of Return for the respective offices they are contesting.

The certificates are intended to formally recognise the candidates selected through the party’s electoral process. Their presentation at the NEC meeting would provide an opportunity for the party to publicly identify its candidates and set out its campaign organisation.

Financial Transparency and Political Party Accountability

The planned presentation of the statement of account places party financing among the issues the NDC wants to emphasise ahead of the election.

Political parties require funding to organise internal elections, maintain offices, conduct campaigns, communicate with voters and deploy personnel across constituencies.

Their sources of income and spending can therefore be relevant to questions about internal governance and public accountability.

The NDC has presented its proposed disclosure as a standard it wants other parties to follow. Whether the initiative provides a meaningful picture of its finances will depend on the information released and how comprehensively it accounts for the party’s income and expenditure.

A statement of account can provide useful financial information, but the level of transparency also depends on the detail disclosed, the period covered, the treatment of donations and in-kind contributions, and whether the figures can be independently scrutinised.

The NDC’s challenge to the APC and other parties also places pressure on political organisations to explain how they raise and spend money during an election cycle.

The ruling party has not responded to the NDC’s latest challenge in the statement supplied for this report.

NDC Says It Is Preparing for 2027

The party said it was ready to contest the 2027 elections and described its ambition as providing Nigerians with what it called “altruistic leadership”.

Its NEC meeting is expected to serve both administrative and campaign purposes: disclosing its finances, formalising its campaign structure and presenting certificates to candidates.

The meeting comes as political parties continue preparations for the next general election, including candidate selection, campaign coordination and efforts to attract voters concerned about the economy, employment and public services.

For the NDC, Monday’s meeting will offer an opportunity to demonstrate how its internal organisation and financial practices align with its public claims of transparency.

The extent of that transparency will become clearer when the party releases its accounts and provides further details about the candidates who received free forms.