Former Bayelsa State Governor and Senator, Seriake Dickson, has dismissed allegations that the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) awards nomination tickets to the highest bidders, while acknowledging that the party’s recently concluded primary elections were not without challenges.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Wednesday, Dickson said the party was already addressing complaints and grievances raised by members in several states, including Edo and Imo, where some aspirants alleged irregularities and violations of electoral guidelines during the primaries.
“I have never claimed that the primary process was perfect. Far from it,” Dickson stated.
According to him, the party had initially planned to deploy electronic voting to enhance transparency and credibility in the exercise but was unable to do so due to time constraints and logistical challenges.
He explained that the adoption of direct primaries under Nigeria’s electoral framework posed significant operational difficulties, particularly for a relatively new political platform managing a large number of aspirants across various positions.
“In many cases, there were 15 or 20 aspirants seeking the same position. That naturally created intense competition and disputes,” he said.
Reacting to allegations that influential individuals had taken control of party structures in some states and were determining who secured party tickets, Dickson maintained that there was no evidence linking the national leadership to such practices.
On claims that governorship tickets were being allocated based on financial strength, the former governor firmly rejected the allegations.
“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,” he said.
However, he acknowledged that financial capability remains an important factor in electoral contests.
“In politics, resources matter. Every political party considers whether an aspirant has the capacity and resources to run a viable campaign,” Dickson noted, stressing that this should not be interpreted as the commercialisation of party tickets.
Despite the controversies surrounding the primaries, Dickson insisted that the party’s internal disagreements were being handled through established mechanisms and should not be viewed as a sign of institutional failure.
He reaffirmed the NDC’s commitment to strengthening its internal democratic processes and ensuring greater transparency in future electoral exercises.
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