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NDC: Only Successful Aspirants To Pay Nomination Fees After Primaries — Dickson
By Olivia Amarachi Iroh
E-ISSN: 2354-4481
The National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Seriake Dickson, has announced that only aspirants who emerge successful in the party’s primaries will proceed to pay nomination fees and complete their documentation process.
Dickson disclosed this in a statement shared on his X handle on Wednesday following a joint meeting involving the party’s National Chairman, Cleopas Moses, presidential aspirant Peter Obi, members of the National Working Committee (NWC), as well as the party’s Selection and Screening Committees.
According to the former Bayelsa State Governor, the decision was reached in view of the limited time available to conclude preparations for the primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He explained that all aspirants who had earlier purchased Expression of Interest Forms would be allowed to participate in the primaries across their various constituencies, irrespective of whether they had completed payment for nomination forms.
“Following a briefing at the joint meeting of the Selection Committee and the Screening Committee, and in view of the constraints of time, it was decided that all those who purchased Expression of Interest Forms would be allowed to participate in the primaries in their various constituencies,” Dickson stated.
He further clarified that only candidates who secure victory at the primaries would subsequently report to the party secretariat to complete documentation and make payment for nomination forms alongside other required processes.
The NDC leader also revealed that special teams comprising senior party officials had been constituted and deployed across states to oversee the conduct of the primaries in collaboration with stakeholders and local party leaders.
While emphasizing the party’s commitment to inclusiveness, Dickson described the NDC as a youth-friendly and women-friendly political platform, urging officials handling the exercise to ensure fairness, transparency, and openness in dealing with all aspirants.
He advised the committees to pay close attention to aspirants with strong electoral value and capacity to secure victory for the party during the general elections.
According to him, the primaries are scheduled to hold between May 28 and May 29, while aspirants are expected to present their Expression of Interest Forms as a qualification for participation in the exercise.
Dickson also announced the inauguration of an appeal panel to address complaints and petitions that may arise during and after the primaries.
Providing further details on the process, he explained that direct primaries for State House of Assembly positions would be conducted at constituency levels, while primaries and affirmations for House of Representatives, Senate, governorship, and presidential positions would be held at various local government headquarters.
The senator representing Bayelsa West Senatorial District cautioned aspirants and their supporters against acts of violence, intimidation, threats, and disorderly conduct, stressing that the party maintains zero tolerance for actions capable of undermining internal democracy and peaceful conduct of the exercise.
Dickson equally acknowledged that the party’s proposed electronic voting system for primaries could not be fully implemented due to time limitations, but assured members that future primaries would be conducted electronically.
“As I said at the dinner with aspirants, this will be the last primary election in the NDC to be conducted manually,” he added. Writing
NDC: Only Successful Aspirants To Pay Nomination Fees After Primaries — Dickson
