The National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Seriake Dickson, has acknowledged that the party’s recently concluded primaries were marred by irregularities and has appealed to aggrieved aspirants to remain calm as reconciliation efforts begin.
Dickson made this known in a post on his official X handle, where he reflected on concerns raised by participants in the exercise and defended the party’s handling of its first major internal election.
He said he had earlier addressed the issue during an interview on Arise TV, where he sympathised with aspirants who felt dissatisfied with the conduct of the primaries.
“Last night, I had an interview with Arise TV, where I sympathised with our aspirants over some noticeable irregularities in our just-concluded primaries,” he said.
According to him, while the exercise was not perfect, the party should be understood within the context of its rapid expansion and limited preparation time.
“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,” he added.
Dickson noted that the challenges experienced were not unique to the NDC, stressing that even more established political parties have faced similar difficulties during internal elections.
He explained that the party, barely four months old, had to simultaneously conduct membership registration, congresses, primaries, appeals, and reconciliation processes within a tight electoral timeline.
“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 former Bayelsa State governor also blamed some of the controversies on the direct primary system mandated by the Electoral Act, arguing that it has created widespread disputes across political parties.
“Complaints about irregularities in direct primaries are pervasive across all parties and are not peculiar to the NDC,” he stated.
Despite the concerns, Dickson maintained that the party had performed creditably given its short existence and the large number of aspirants involved.
He also dismissed rumours circulating on social media about the outcome of the primaries, insisting that no official results had been released.
“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,” he said.
Dickson further revealed that the party had set up a reconciliation committee to address grievances arising from the primaries.
“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 explained.
He assured members that future primaries would be conducted using technology to reduce disputes and improve transparency.
“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,” he said.
The NDC leader also thanked party members for their sacrifices and financial support, describing the party as a self-funded political movement.
He called on all stakeholders to close ranks and support the party’s candidates ahead of future elections, urging unity over internal disputes.
