Senator Seriake Dickson, a former governor of Bayelsa State, has firmly dismissed claims that the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) sells its nomination tickets to the highest bidders. However, he conceded that the party’s recently concluded primaries were not without flaws.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Wednesday, Dickson emphasized that the NDC is actively addressing concerns raised by members in states like Edo and Imo, where aspirants have voiced complaints about irregularities and breaches of electoral guidelines. He stated, “I have never claimed that the primary process was perfect. Far from it.”
Dickson noted that the party had initially planned to implement electronic voting to boost transparency but lacked the necessary time and logistics. He pointed out that direct primaries, as mandated by Nigeria’s electoral framework, significantly complicated matters, especially for a new party with many aspirants. “In many cases, there were 15 or 20 aspirants seeking the same position, which naturally created intense competition and disputes,” he explained.
Regarding allegations that party structures in some states have been captured by influential individuals controlling access to tickets, Dickson argued that no evidence supports such claims at the national leadership level. He was emphatic: “The NDC does not sell nomination forms or tickets based on wealth. Nobody has come forward with evidence that the National Working Committee or the national leadership collected money in exchange for tickets.”
Nevertheless, he acknowledged that financial resources play a role in politics. “In politics, resources matter. Every political party considers whether an aspirant has the capacity and resources to run a viable campaign,” he said, stressing that this should not be mistaken for commercializing party tickets. Dickson concluded that while internal disagreements exist, they are being managed within the party’s structures and should not be seen as a sign of systemic collapse.