NDC Regional Elections: Walewale supporters allege sabotage after former parliamentary candidate wins Regional Secretary

Supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Walewale have accused officials of the North East Regional Coordinating Directorate of deliberately frustrating celebrations following the election of former Walewale parliamentary candidate, Abubakari Abdallah, as the party's Regional Secretary.

The supporters allege that electricity supply to Walewale was deliberately disconnected shortly after the party's regional executive elections on Saturday, November 14, 2026, to prevent them from celebrating Mr Abdallah's victory.

Power went off in the township a few minutes after the election results were declared, with Mr Abdallah and several other candidates emerging victorious.

JoyNews checks confirmed that the outage affected Walewale, while electricity supply in other parts of the region remained uninterrupted.

Power was subsequently restored to the township at about 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 15.

The incident has triggered angry reactions among Mr Abdallah's supporters, many of whom have taken to social media to condemn what they describe as an attempt to undermine the former parliamentary candidate.

Some have accused officials of the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) of allowing the electricity distribution network to be drawn into what they consider a political vendetta against Mr Abdallah, who has contested the Walewale parliamentary seat three times.

One supporter directly accused the North East Regional Minister, Ibrahim Tia, of being behind the alleged blackout, although no evidence was provided to substantiate the claim.

However, there is no independent evidence to establish that the outage was politically motivated or that any government official or NEDCo personnel deliberately disconnected electricity to frustrate the celebrations.

Several attempts by JoyNews to reach NEDCo officials in Walewale for comments were unsuccessful. Rauf Tanko retains regional chairmanship amid inducement allegations

Meanwhile, incumbent NDC North East Regional Chairman, Abdul Rauf Tanko Ibrahim, has retained his position after securing 146 votes.

His re-election has, however, attracted attention following his admission during an interview with journalists that he distributed motorbikes and other forms of support to delegates ahead of the elections.

Responding to questions about allegations of vote-buying, Mr Tanko acknowledged distributing motorbikes but defended the gesture as part of his responsibilities as the incumbent regional chairman.

"It is not only motorbikes that were given to delegates," he told journalists.

"Don't forget that I am the incumbent Regional Chairman. Before winning this election, it was my duty to finance or fund the party's activities in the region. So, I don't think it is misplaced for me to buy motorbikes for executives to enable them to carry out party activities across the region," he added.

Full list of elected NDC North East Regional Executives

The November 14 elections produced the following winners:

A total of 231 delegates participated in the regional elections held at the Nalerigu Senior High School. More than 200 police officers were deployed to the election grounds to maintain security.

The officers arrived unarmed, with the police commander explaining that the arrangement was intended to ensure a peaceful and impartial electoral process. He said armed personnel remained on standby to respond to any eventuality.

The elections form part of the NDC's internal reorganisation ahead of the party's national executive elections scheduled for December 19, 2026.

Abuba's victory comes against the backdrop of tensions with Regional Minister

Mr Abdallah's election as Regional Secretary comes against the backdrop of a prolonged political disagreement between his supporters and North East Regional Minister Ibrahim Tia, largely centred on influence within the NDC and access to government appointments.

The tensions became increasingly public in November 2025 when supporters of Mr Abdallah accused the Regional Minister, the Regional Chairman and other party executives of deliberately frustrating the former parliamentary candidate's attempts to secure a government appointment.

The aggrieved supporters also complained that several grassroots activists who worked for the party during the 2024 general elections had been overlooked in government appointments, while individuals they considered less active in the party had been rewarded with influential positions.

Some further accused regional party executives of circulating damaging reports about Mr Abdallah and his associates, including allegations that some of them engaged in skirt-and-blouse voting during the 2024 elections.

Mr Tia rejected the allegations, insisting that neither he nor the regional executives had deliberately worked against the former parliamentary candidate.

In an interview with JoyNews on November 19, 2025, the Regional Minister argued that contesting parliamentary elections or supporting the NDC did not automatically entitle anyone to a government appointment.

"He is not the only one who contested and hasn't been appointed," Mr Tia said, citing other former parliamentary candidates in the region who had also not received government positions.

He also denied claims that regional executives had submitted reports to discredit Mr Abdallah, explaining that the party obtained information about constituency activities through several channels, including national-level party officials.

The disagreement subsequently spilled into the party's grassroots structures in Walewale, with aggrieved supporters threatening to boycott party activities over what they described as the marginalisation of loyal members.

On December 7, 2025, regional executives, including Mr Tia and Regional Chairman Rauf Tanko, held an emergency meeting with aggrieved party members in Walewale.

The meeting followed weeks of agitation over government appointments and allegations that influential regional figures were sidelining Mr Abdallah and his supporters.

A joint committee comprising regional executives and constituency representatives was established to examine the complaints and recommend measures to address the divisions.

Mr Abdallah's victory in the November 14, 2026 elections is therefore politically significant, particularly against the backdrop of competing interests within the party in the constituency.