Seriake Dickson, founder and national leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), says the party understands the concerns of aggrieved aspirants over its recently concluded primaries, admitting that some aspects of the process were imperfect.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Wednesday, Dickson attributed many of the challenges to the direct primary system prescribed by the Electoral Act.
His comments come amid allegations by some aspirants that the party’s primaries were marred by irregularities, lack of transparency and candidate imposition.
“It is at that stage that you are having this challenge,” Dickson said.
“First, I want to tell all our members, particularly aspirants and their supporters, that we feel what they feel.”
According to him, some members believe the process was not flawless, a concern he said the party leadership recognises.
“They feel some of the processes were not perfect, and I will be one of the first to admit that,” he said.
“Yes, direct primaries, in the way and manner the Electoral Act stipulated, have created a crisis.”
The former Bayelsa governor argued that the challenges experienced by the NDC were not unique, noting that even older and more established political parties had faced similar disputes during their primaries.
“The crisis could have been worse for a new party like the NDC if not for the way all our colleagues are managing it and the restraint shown by the aspirants themselves,” he said.
STATE LEVEL DECISION ON CANDIDATES
Responding to allegations that the NDC leadership manipulated the process, Dickson said many of the decisions being criticised were made at state and caucus levels rather than by the national leadership.
“As national leader, my roles under the constitution of the NDC are clear,” he said.
“I am not a full-time executive officer of the party. My role is to guide, advise, encourage and give support.”
He added that the party operates through state leaders, caucuses and other structures that are responsible for many of the decisions currently under scrutiny.
“A number of these decisions that people are talking about are wrongly attributing to me, the national chairman and the National Working Committee,” he said.
“They are actually decisions taken at those levels.”
