NDC’s Dickson Urges Party Unity Ahead of 2027 Elections
The National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Seriake Dickson, has called on party members and stakeholders to close ranks with the leadership and focus on defeating opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections. Speaking at a media parley with selected media executives, Dickson acknowledged the tensions that trailed the party’s primaries but argued they were not unique to the NDC. “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. The Bayelsa West Senator blamed much of the friction on the compulsory direct primary system under the Electoral Act. “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. On allegations that some aspirants were sidelined after paying fees, Dickson maintained the party had performed creditably given its age and the volume of aspirants managed. He also clarified that no primary winners had been announced. “No party has announced any set of winners from its primaries, and neither has the NDC. The party is waiting for INEC to open their portals for formal submissions.” The former Bayelsa Governor appealed to aggrieved members to deny opponents the ammunition of internal discord, and urged all to unite ahead of campaigns. He pledged that future primaries would be improved through technology. Dickson acknowledged the financial contributions of members, describing the NDC as a self-funded movement operating without the backing of government officials, and affirmed that voluntary donations were consistent with a party building from the ground up. He called on Nigerians to donate freely to the party’s presidential campaign, adding that internationally recognised auditors would be engaged to oversee expenditure. Dickson closed the parley on a forward-looking note, promising that the party’s policy agenda would be comprehensive enough to outpace any individual mandate. “We are all committed to ensuring the success of our party and especially our presidential candidates, the Excellencies Peter Obi and Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso,” he said.
Published by: Chichi Umeseaka
Universal Television Africa (UTV Africa) General Manager, Director News/ Editor in Chief.
