National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Seriake Dickson, has cautioned supporters of the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, against attacking the party and its leadership.
Speaking during an appearance on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme, Dickson dismissed speculation about a leadership crisis within the NDC and insisted that the party remains united ahead of future political contests.
The former Bayelsa State governor described Obi as a valued member of the party but stressed that the NDC deserves recognition for providing the platform on which the presidential ticket was secured.
“The NDC leadership is intact and there is no crisis whatsoever,” Dickson said. “Peter Obi is a cherished member of our party. On our own, we have made him sole presidential candidate, and that counts for something.”
He argued that many of the prominent political figures currently associated with the party were not involved in its formation or registration process. According to him, those who built the party made significant sacrifices long before the arrival of high-profile aspirants.
“None of them was part of the formation when we were registering this party. They were not there. They didn’t pay one naira. No presidential candidate paid shishi,” he said.
Dickson also criticised supporters who, while backing Obi, publicly attack the party and its leadership. He maintained that the NDC is providing a political platform for candidates and should not be portrayed as benefiting from them.
“You cannot be supporting Peter Obi and be disparaging me, the leader of the platform itself. Stop making it look like anyone is doing NDC a favour. No one is. Rather, the NDC and my colleagues are doing them a favour by granting them our platform,” he added.
The NDC leader further rejected allegations that the party sold nomination forms or awarded tickets to the highest bidders. He explained that aspirants were only required to make contributions and donations to designated party and campaign accounts as part of the party’s self-funding structure.
According to Dickson, the donations applied across all categories of aspirants and were not payments made to individuals. He insisted that the party never negotiated its platform based on financial considerations.
Commenting on Nigeria’s electoral process, Dickson criticised the National Assembly’s push for mandatory direct primaries. He argued that political parties should retain the authority to determine the method of selecting their candidates.
He warned that direct primaries could create confusion and disputes, especially when different groups conduct parallel exercises and announce conflicting results. Dickson called for stronger institutional capacity from both political parties and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure credible candidate selection processes.
His remarks come amid growing political discussions surrounding party structures, internal democracy, and preparations for future elections across the country.
