The National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Seriake Dickson, has acknowledged that irregularities occurred during the party’s recently concluded primaries, while appealing to aggrieved aspirants to remain patient as the party addresses their concerns.
Dickson made the remarks during an interview with Arise Television, excerpts of which he later shared on his official X account on Thursday.
According to him, although the exercise was not perfect, party members should consider the circumstances under which the NDC conducted its primaries, noting that the party is still in its infancy and operating under a tight electoral timetable.
“Last night, I had an interview with Arise TV, where I sympathised with our aspirants over some noticeable irregularities in our just-concluded primaries. While not claiming that the exercise was perfect, I urged all of them to bear with the party in view of the circumstances we are managing,” Dickson stated.
The former Bayelsa State governor explained that the NDC, which is barely four months old, had been compelled to undertake several critical activities within a limited period, including membership registration, congresses, a national convention, primary elections, appeals and ongoing reconciliation efforts.
“We are just four months old and have been thrown into the middle of a very tight electoral timeframe, within which we had to carry out membership registration, congresses up to the national convention, primaries, appeal processes, and now the reconciliation phase,” he said.
Dickson also blamed some of the challenges experienced during the exercise on the direct primary system prescribed by the Electoral Act, arguing that similar complaints have been recorded across political parties.
“My views on the Electoral Act have been clear: the APC-led majority were wrong in foisting compulsory direct primaries on political parties and the country. Complaints about irregularities in direct primaries are pervasive across all parties and are not peculiar to the NDC,” he stated.
Despite the concerns raised by aspirants, Dickson maintained that the party performed commendably considering its age and the number of contestants it had to manage.
“As a matter of fact, considering the age of the NDC and the teeming number of aspirants we have had to manage, we have done quite well,” he said.
The NDC leader also dismissed reports circulating on social media suggesting that winners had already emerged from the primaries, insisting that no official announcement had been made.
“No party has announced any set of winners from its primaries, and neither has the NDC. The public should disregard any such claims in circulation, especially on social media, and await the party’s formal submissions through the appropriate channels,” he said.
READ ALSO: NDC Moves To Resolve Kano Rift As Dickson Meets Kwankwaso, Party Leaders
Dickson revealed that the party had already put measures in place to address grievances arising from the primaries through a reconciliation committee approved by the National Executive Committee.
“In anticipation of these challenges, the 2nd NEC meeting approved the composition of a Reconciliation Committee to work with state caucus leaders and other stakeholders in managing grievances,” he said.
He further assured members that future primaries would be conducted using technology to eliminate many of the issues encountered during the current exercise.
“This is our first set of primaries, and it will also be the last to be conducted manually. The next primaries will be technologically driven and will have none of these issues,”Dickson stated.
The former governor thanked party members and supporters for their financial contributions and sacrifices, stressing that the NDC remains a self-funded political movement without the backing of government officials.
“I appreciate their donations, contributions, and sacrifices made on behalf of the party. They remain valuable members of our party regardless of the outcome of the primaries,” he said.
He also called on members to unite behind the party’s candidates and support its presidential ticket of Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso ahead of the 2027 general election.
“We are in this together, and we are all committed to ensuring the success of our party and our presidential team, their Excellencies Peter Obi and Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso,” he said.
Dickson concluded by urging state party leaders to actively support the reconciliation process rather than engage in blame games, noting that those who supervised the primaries should also help in resolving disputes arising from them.
“It is not a time to shift blame or dodge responsibilities. Since they midwifed and managed the process of the primaries, they should equally help in supporting the party in coordinating the reconciliation process,” he added.