Fresh tension has emerged within the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) following a public disagreement between aides of the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and its national leader, Seriake Dickson, over the party’s logo ahead of the 2027 general election.
According to The Nation, the dispute involves Esther Umoh, an aide and official photographer to Obi, and Theo Abu Agada, the NDC Director of New Media and Strategic Communications.
Both exchanged words on 𝕏 after Umoh criticised the party leadership over what she described as its failure to clearly educate supporters and candidates on the logo recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Concerns have grown over the circulation of different versions of the NDC logo, with some candidates and supporters allegedly uncertain about the symbol to use on campaign materials.
The controversy comes amid an existing legal dispute surrounding the party’s registration and electoral symbol.
Umoh called on the NDC leadership to urgently issue an official directive to state chapters identifying the logo approved by INEC.
She warned that continued uncertainty could weaken the party’s preparations and confuse voters ahead of the election.
She wrote, “Dear @TheoAbuAgada, in your capacity as a communications representative of the party, I respectfully urge you to ensure that @NigeriaNDCHQ addresses the ongoing issue surrounding the party’s logo decisively.
“With barely five months to the elections, there is already significant confusion at the grassroots.
“Candidates and supporters are uncertain about which logo to use on campaign materials, and this lack of clarity could affect the party’s cohesion, visibility and preparedness ahead of the elections.”
Umoh also urged the leadership to circulate uniform instructions across the country.
“The party needs to issue an official communiqué to all state chapters and relevant stakeholders, clearly stating the party’s approved logo on @inecnigeria, and providing uniform guidance on its use,” she said.
She added that the party could not afford “avoidable confusion or mixed messaging” at a critical stage of preparations.
‘Supreme Leader’ Remark Sparks Row
Abu Agada, however, objected to Umoh’s description of Dickson as the party’s “supreme leader,” describing the expression as inappropriate.
He said the logo controversy had already been brought before the national leadership.
Agada said, “Last week, I raised this issue with the National Leadership of the party, and efforts are being made to address it.
“As an employee of the presidential candidate of our great party, the NDC, I find it disrespectful and completely unacceptable to refer to our national leader, my boss, as a ‘Supreme Leader’, a nomenclature that denotes an authoritarian regime, which Distinguished Senator Henry Seriake Dickson is not known for.”
Abu Agada described Dickson as “a Democrat to the core” and urged Umoh to be guided in her choice of words.
Delta Campaign Deepens Disagreement
Apparently dissatisfied with the response, Umoh returned to the issue, citing the party’s governorship campaign in Delta State.
She wrote, “Case in point @TheoAbuAgada. The governorship candidate of the NDC in Delta State has been putting in the work.
“Delta State is one state that is obidient to the core. He/we have a great chance at winning, but he/we can’t win with the wrong logo. Campaigns kick off on the 19th of this month.”
Abu Agada responded sharply, saying he would defend himself against attacks.
“Let me make this abundantly clear: anyone who comes for me, I will defend myself and put the person in their place. I take no prisoners,” he said.
The exchange has fuelled questions over the relationship between the NDC’s existing leadership structure and the political support base that followed Obi into the party.
Logo Dispute Before Court
The NDC’s electoral symbol has also become the subject of legal and registration disputes.
Reports indicated that INEC previously raised concerns over one version of the party’s symbol, which features a two-finger victory sign, following claims of similarity with existing political symbols.
The Peace Movement Party has also reportedly laid claim to a similar symbol based on an earlier application.
A related legal dispute over the recognition of the NDC is currently before the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal.
Party sources who spoke with The Nation said the unresolved litigation had complicated efforts to introduce a new logo.
Amid the social media exchanges, Dickson met Obi and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, on Thursday in what party sources described as an attempt to ease tensions.
Following the meeting, Dickson said discussions focused on the state of the party and preparations for the forthcoming campaign.
He wrote, “It was a pleasure to have hosted our presidential candidate, His Excellency Peter Gregory Obi, CON, and his running mate, His Excellency Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, CON, by the grace of God, the next President and Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, at a high-level consultative meeting to discuss the positive state of affairs of our party and to prepare for the forthcoming campaigns.
“We call on all members, supporters and stakeholders of our great party to unite, remain steadfast and work together for victory for all candidates of our party.”
The meeting was not the first intervention by Dickson in disagreements involving Obi’s supporters.
He had also met Obi and Kwankwaso in June following complaints about tensions between the party’s established structures and supporters of the former Labour Party presidential candidate.
At the time, Dickson urged members to end what he called “bickering” and “name-calling” and concentrate on the 2027 election.
Party Official Explains Logo Confusion
A senior NDC official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment publicly, said the party’s original logo remained its legally recognised symbol.
The official said the NDC had proposed another design featuring a blue-and-white background and a digital fingerprint, which was submitted to INEC.
According to him, the proposed logo was briefly recognised before the electoral commission returned to the original symbol.
“We know that when you have many ideas, things are always coming up. This recent one with the blue or white background and the digital fingerprint was an idea we came up with, and we sent it to INEC to change our logo,” the source said.
“But there was a little politics around it. They uplifted it for a few months or a few weeks. But when they saw that we were becoming strong, they withdrew it and returned the old logo.”
The official claimed that INEC cited restrictions surrounding the timing of logo changes, a position the party disputes.
‘Old Logo Remains Recognised’
According to the source, the original symbol remains the party’s official logo because it is the one registered with INEC.
The official said, “What they said is that in the eye of the law, it is the old one that is our logo, because that is the one registered with INEC.
“The most popular one, which is the digital finger, is not yet registered but INEC is aware of it.”
The official added that the party could not simply withdraw the disputed new symbol because it had become part of an ongoing court case.
“If we decide to change it, it would be tantamount to changing the evidence as the case is ongoing,”the source said.
The party official said the NDC planned to embark on a nationwide voter education campaign once political campaigns formally begin on August 19.
The source said, “But the party is not going to wait for them.
“Once the ban on campaign is lifted, as from August 19, we will decide to embark on an enlightenment campaign and voter education to inform all Nigerians that the old one is our authentic logo as the case may be.”
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