​NDC Primaries: Dickson Admits Irregularities, Sues for Peace Behind Obi-Kwankwaso Ticket

​ABUJA — The National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Seriake Dickson, has acknowledged “noticeable irregularities” in the party’s recently concluded primary elections. Speaking during an exclusive interview on Arise TV, the lawmaker appealed to aggrieved aspirants for calm, emphasizing that the minor hitches were growing pains expected of a rapidly expanding political movement.

​The NDC, which recently ratified former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi as its 2027 presidential flagbearer alongside Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has found itself navigating an incredibly compressed electoral timeline.

​Managing the Growing Pains of a Four-Month-Old Party

​Addressing the internal friction generated by the elective congresses, Senator Dickson stated that while the exercise was far from perfect, the context of the party’s timeline must be considered.

​”We are just four months old and have been thrown into the middle of a very tight electoral timeframe,” Dickson explained. “Within this period, we had to simultaneously carry out membership registration, congresses, primaries up to the national convention, appeal processes, and now the reconciliation phase.”

​The former Bayelsa State Governor pointed out that these administrative challenges are not unique to the NDC. He argued that older, heavily funded political entities—including the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) with its vast executive and state apparatus, and the African Democratic Congress (ADC)—have faced similar or worse structural overloads.

​Blaming the Electoral Act for ‘Direct Primary’ Chaos

​Dickson laid the blame for the widespread logistical hitches firmly at the feet of the legislative framework inherited by political parties. He renewed his criticism of the APC-led legislative majority for forcing compulsory direct primaries on the political ecosystem.

​According to him, complaints of irregularities in direct primaries are pervasive across the entire Nigerian political spectrum:

• ​Systemic Overload: Forcing mass-voter participation within truncated timelines strains party infrastructure.
• ​Manual Bottlenecks: The reliance on analogue verification methods invites human error and friction.

​Dickson promised a definitive shift in the party’s future operations, vowing that this maiden exercise would be the last one conducted manually by the NDC. “The next primaries will be technologically driven and will have none of these issues,” he assured.

​No Official Winners Announced Yet

​The National Leader also cautioned the public against relying on premature victory declarations circulating on social media. He clarified that neither the NDC nor its contemporaries have formally released authenticated lists of winners to the public.

​”The results of party primaries are not announced like school results; they are communicated through formal, statutory channels,” Dickson noted, urging members to await official publications from the national leadership.

​Local Leaders Urged to Take Responsibility

​In a bid to diffuse rising tensions, the NDC’s 2nd National Executive Committee (NEC) recently approved the composition of a high-powered Reconciliation Committee. The panel is tasked with partnering with state caucus leaders to systematically manage grievances.

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​Dickson strongly pushed back against attempts to scapegoat the national executive for local outcomes, reminding state stakeholders that they must own the results of the processes they oversaw.

​”Most of the candidates are persons backed and recommended by state leaders, not me nor the national leadership of the party,” Dickson emphasized. “Since they midwifed and managed the process of the primaries, they should equally step up their game and help coordinate the reconciliation process.”

​Reaffirming that the self-funded party remains united behind the Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso presidential project, Dickson called on all members to cease infighting and redirect their energy toward supporting the party’s candidates from the presidency down to the grassroots level.

​For more context on the internal dynamics of the newly formed opposition coalition and the path forward, you can watch how Seriake Dickson Addresses Supporters to Avoid Conflict, which provides an on-the-ground look at the party’s ongoing efforts to maintain unity ahead of the general elections.