The National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Seriake Dickson, has expressed sympathy with aspirants who participated in the party’s recently concluded primaries, acknowledging that the exercise was marred by some irregularities.
In a post on his official X handle on Thursday, Dickson said the primaries were not flawless, but urged members to remain patient with the party as it continues to navigate the challenges of rapid growth and tight electoral timelines.
“I sympathised with our aspirants over some noticeable irregularities in our just-concluded primaries. While not claiming the exercise was perfect, I urged all of them to bear with the party in view of the circumstances we are managing,” he said, referring to a recent interview on Arise TV.
Dickson noted that the challenges experienced were not unique to the NDC, stressing that larger and more established political parties have faced similar issues in their own primaries.
“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 national convention, primaries, appeal processes, and now reconciliation,” he said.
The former Bayelsa State governor attributed many of the complaints arising from the exercise to the direct primary system mandated under the Electoral Act.
“My views on the Electoral Act have been clear: the APC-led majority were wrong in imposing compulsory direct primaries on political parties. Complaints about irregularities in direct primaries are widespread across parties and not peculiar to the NDC,” he stated.
Despite the concerns, Dickson maintained that the party had performed credibly given its short existence and the large number of aspirants it managed.
“Considering the age of the NDC and the teeming number of aspirants we have had to manage, we have done quite well,” he said.
He also dismissed reports circulating on social media claiming that winners had already emerged from the party’s primaries, urging the public to disregard such information.
“No party has announced any set of winners from its primaries, and neither has the NDC. The public should disregard such claims, especially on social media, and await the party’s formal announcements,” he said.
Dickson further disclosed that the party had anticipated post-primary disputes and had already set up a reconciliation framework.
“In anticipation of these challenges, the National Executive Committee approved the composition of a Reconciliation Committee to work with state caucus leaders and stakeholders in managing grievances,” he said.
Looking ahead, he assured members that future primaries would be technology-driven to minimise disputes and improve transparency.
“This is our first set of primaries, and it will also be the last conducted manually. Subsequent primaries will be technologically driven to avoid these issues,” he added.
The NDC leader also thanked party members for their financial support and sacrifices, describing the party as a self-funded political movement.
He called for unity among members and urged them to rally behind the party’s presidential candidates, former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi and former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, ahead of the elections.
Dickson further urged state-level party leaders to take an active role in reconciliation efforts rather than shift blame, stressing the need for collective responsibility in strengthening the party.
