The founder and National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Henry Seriake Dickson has stated that the party is encouraging consensus arrangements among aspirants ahead of its governorship and National Assembly primaries to preserve unity.
Dickson disclosed this in a statement issued Tuesday after a dinner meeting held for governorship and National Assembly aspirants of the party.
According to him, the meeting was attended by former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, while former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso was absent due to ongoing political engagements in Kano ahead of party primaries.
Addressing the aspirants, Dickson commended party members and officials for what he described as their dedication and sacrifice towards building the NDC into a formidable opposition platform within a short period.
He noted that despite initial doubts surrounding the formation of the party, the NDC had rapidly expanded and emerged as one of the country’s fastest-growing political movements.
The former governor also praised the party’s screening committee chaired by former Ebonyi State Governor Sam Egwu for conducting the screening exercise for aspirants over the past week.
Dickson explained that the establishment of a selection committee led by the party’s national chairman was designed to strengthen internal democracy, consultation and strategic decision-making in the nomination process.
According to him, the committee would review reports submitted by the screening panel and engage stakeholders across constituencies and states before making recommendations based on competence, political realities and the party’s broader interests.
He said the party was strongly promoting consensus candidacies because of the limited time before the elections, but added that democratic primaries would still be conducted wherever agreements among aspirants could not be reached.
“Only one candidate will eventually emerge for each office, but everyone who has contributed to the growth of this movement will remain relevant in the affairs of the party,” Dickson said.
He further stated that the NDC was being developed as a long-term ideological institution rather than a platform driven by temporary political interests.
The former senator also revealed that the party was compiling a database of aspirants and supporters who had contributed to the growth of the NDC, noting that they would be integrated into future campaign structures and strategic committees.
Dickson added that the party intends to introduce electronic systems for future primary elections to improve transparency and credibility, describing the current largely manual process as a temporary measure necessitated by time constraints ahead of the polls.
