By Chike Ofili
The National Leader of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, has acknowledged irregularities in the party’s recently concluded primaries but maintained that the challenges were not peculiar to the fledgling opposition platform and would not derail its growing momentum ahead of the 2027 elections.
In a statement reflecting on his appearance on Arise Television, Dickson appealed to aggrieved aspirants and party members to remain patient and committed to the NDC, arguing that the party had achieved a great deal despite being barely four months old.
He said the NDC had been compelled to conduct nationwide membership registration, congresses, a national convention, primary elections, appeals, and reconciliation processes within an unusually compressed electoral timetable.
The former Bayelsa State governor attributed many of the problems encountered during the primaries to the compulsory direct primary system imposed by the Electoral Act, insisting that complaints of irregularities have been widespread across all political parties.
According to him, even larger and better-established parties have struggled with similar challenges despite having greater resources and more entrenched political structures.
“The complaints being raised are not peculiar to the NDC,” Dickson said, adding that the party had acquitted itself creditably given its age and the large number of aspirants it had to manage nationwide.
He disclosed that since the party’s formation, he had invested considerable effort in attracting respected political leaders into its fold and in resolving disagreements arising from the primary process across the country.
Dickson also urged the public to disregard purported results of the primaries circulating on social media, stressing that the party had not formally announced any winners and would communicate its decisions through the appropriate channels.
To address post-primary grievances, he said the party’s National Executive Committee had established a Reconciliation Committee to work with state caucus leaders and other stakeholders.
The NDC leader further announced that future primaries would be technology-driven, saying the recently concluded exercise would be the last conducted through largely manual processes.
He expressed appreciation to members and supporters who have sustained the party through personal donations and voluntary contributions, noting that the NDC has no access to government resources and remains entirely self-funded.
Dickson also called on party members to unite behind the NDC presidential ticket of Peter Obi and Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, urging supporters to avoid internal disputes and focus on building a viable alternative platform for Nigerians.
He challenged state caucus leaders and other stakeholders who supervised the primaries to take responsibility for resolving disputes arising from the exercise, arguing that many of the successful candidates emerged through local endorsements rather than decisions taken by the national leadership.
Despite addressing a wide range of issues surrounding the primaries, Dickson, in his statement, was notably silent on the controversy generated by recent allegations against the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Former Obi ally and Nollywood actor, Kenneth Okonkwo, who is now a member of the ADC, had alleged that Obi collected N10 million bribes from some NDC aspirants seeking party tickets.
Obi has strongly denied the accusation and has instituted a N5 billion defamation suit against Okonkwo, setting the stage for what could become a major legal and political battle between the former allies.
Nevertheless, Dickson expressed confidence that the party would overcome its current challenges, describing the NDC as a political movement “on the ascendancy” and increasingly enjoying the trust and confidence of Nigerians across the country.