The National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, has been singled out for praise by candidates of the party whose names were recently published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
There had been considerable apprehension among candidates seeking to contest elections on the NDC platform owing to delays in the publication of names, particularly for those vying for seats in the two chambers of the National Assembly.
Much of that anxiety has now been allayed by the latest development, with the former Bayelsa State Governor remaining the stabilising force credited with restoring calm after tensions threatened to tear the fledgling party apart.
Many of the candidates whose names have now been gazetted said they were particularly grateful to Dickson, not only for rescuing their political careers — the future of which had looked bleak amid what they described as the ruling APC’s apparent drift towards a one-party state and the characteristic emasculation of opposition voices — but also for doing so transparently and without extorting aspirants. Accolades have continued to pour in for the NDC National Leader.
Senator Nkechi Nwaogu, the NDC candidate for the Abia Central Senatorial District, said: “The National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, deserves accolades for the way he navigated the trying times through which the primaries, reconciliations and the nomination of candidates were finally concluded. Nobody is perfect, but he acted in the interest of our party, the NDC.”
Commending Dickson for his “peerless political brinkmanship” and the high sense of discipline and leadership he has shown and continues to show,
Dr. Nwaogu, a member of the 8th Senate, appealed to party members, aspirants and candidates: “I appeal to aspirants who did not get tickets to see this as a contest in which those who lost today can win tomorrow. They should work with our party to ensure its victory in the 2027 elections.”
Contrary to unfounded insinuations that aspirants were being extorted over tickets and that the highest bidders were seizing the party’s nominations, some candidates said the NDC primaries, though not perfect, “were arguably the freest, fairest and most transparent of all the primaries conducted by all the major political parties.”
A Canada-based aspirant who lost out in his bid for a House of Representatives ticket also commended the party leadership, as well as the National Leader, for the way they navigated the rather tricky processes.
“I’m a front-row witness to most of what transpired,” he said. “I can tell you that all that the National Leader has been doing since the primaries has been settling the misunderstandings that arose either directly from the venues of the primaries or from the handling of disputes by the respective state leaders and stakeholders charged with harmonising the various interest groups.
“None of these issues was created by the National Leader, who, by the way, did not interfere with the work of either the respective state stakeholders or the various committees sent by the party to conduct the primaries. Instead, he has spent the last two or three months settling and reconciling all of us aspirants and stakeholders.”
Another aspirant from Edo State told our reporter: “On the allegation that the tickets were being sold to the highest bidder, I can tell you boldly that I visited the National Leader no fewer than three times, with party leaders and aspirants from my state. Not once was the issue of money ever discussed. Nobody can claim he ever gave money to Senator Dickson. I’m sure he would have walked you out of his house if you ever tried to offer him any money.”
According to him, the National Leader has made tremendous sacrifices since the NDC was in its embryonic stage and up to the present moment: “He hardly sleeps. It is taking a huge toll on several other things he is doing, and even his health.
“I am calling on all members of the party, as the democrats we are, to join hands to work for the party, not only to deliver the party’s presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, and Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, his running mate, but also to deliver all the candidates of the NDC across the board.”
He described the NDC as the only true hope of the opposition and of Nigeria’s democracy: “The opposition in this country was in shambles until the NDC happened on the scene. We cannot now take our eyes off the ball. We have to close ranks and work together to push out this APC government, which is not only incompetent but also uncaring and evil.”
In his own reaction, Mazi Nnamdi Dickson Iroegbu, who was unsuccessful in his bid to secure the NDC House of Representatives ticket for the Aboh Mbaise and Ngor Okpala Federal constituency in Imo State, enjoined all true NDC members to look beyond the primaries and close ranks to ensure the party produces the next president of Nigeria in 2027.
In a Facebook post following the publication of the candidates’ list by INEC, Iroegbu said: “The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) list of candidates has just been released by INEC, with my name conspicuously missing. It behoves me, Mazi Nnamdi Dickson Iroegbu, to thereby state that I have moved on steadfastly…
“My sincere goodwill further goes to all the candidates of my party, the NDC, and I wish them the very best as they advance. Although my aspiration did not materialise on this occasion, my commitment to the people remains firm, and I will continue to work for the progress of my community.
“I urge all my supporters to continue with their support for the NDC from top to bottom, standing firmly behind the party’s leadership and candidates, and ensuring unity, discipline and active participation during the election processes. Service to the people shall always be our creed.”
