Former Bayelsa State Governor and Senator, Seriake Dickson, has dismissed allegations that the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) awards party nomination tickets to the highest bidders, while acknowledging that the party’s recently concluded primary elections were not without flaws.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Wednesday, Dickson said the party leadership was actively addressing complaints and grievances raised by members in several states, including Edo and Imo, where some aspirants have alleged irregularities in the conduct of the primaries.
“I have never claimed that the primary process was perfect. Far from it,” Dickson stated.
According to him, the NDC had planned to introduce electronic voting mechanisms to enhance transparency and credibility during the primaries but was unable to implement the system due to time constraints and logistical challenges.
He explained that the adoption of direct primaries under Nigeria’s electoral framework created significant operational difficulties, particularly for a relatively new political party handling a large number of aspirants across different constituencies.
“In many cases, there were 15 or 20 aspirants seeking the same position, that naturally created intense competition and disputes,” he said.
Responding to allegations that influential political figures had taken control of party structures in some states and were allegedly determining who received party tickets, Dickson insisted there was no evidence linking the national leadership to such practices.
He firmly rejected suggestions that wealth determines access to governorship or legislative tickets within the party.
“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, Dickson acknowledged that financial capacity remains an important factor in electoral politics, noting that political parties often assess whether aspirants possess the resources required to run competitive campaigns.
“In politics, resources matter. Every political party considers whether an aspirant has the capacity and resources to run a viable campaign,” he explained.
He stressed that considering an aspirant’s campaign capacity should not be interpreted as the commercialization of party tickets.
The former governor maintained that while disagreements and complaints have emerged following the primaries, such issues are being managed through the party’s internal mechanisms and should not be viewed as evidence of a broader crisis within the NDC.
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