By Douglas Kamsela, Abuja
The National Democratic Congress (NDC), one of Nigeria’s leading opposition parties, is facing deepening internal divisions amid mounting disputes over the conduct of its primary elections across several states.
Naija Daily News has exclusively learned that tensions are particularly high in Bayelsa State, the home state of the party’s national leader, Seriake Dickson, where dissatisfaction is growing over the outcome of the direct primaries.
Sources familiar with the process said the fate of several House of Assembly tickets remains uncertain, with winners yet to be officially declared in some local government areas weeks after the primaries were concluded.
In Ekeremor Local Government Area, concerns have emerged over alleged attempts to overturn the outcome of the exercise.
According to party sources, the controversy centres on claims that some influential figures are seeking to deny the declared winner the ticket in favour of a relative of Dickson’s wife.
“The dispute stems from an earlier attempt to impose a cousin of Mrs Dickson as the consensus candidate,” a source told Naija Daily News. “When that effort failed, the ticket was subjected to a direct primary, which the preferred candidate lost.”
The source alleged that efforts have since been made to reverse the outcome, and to declare Dickson’s inlaw winner.
“Since the exercise ended, there have been moves to alter the result and force Mrs Dickson’s preferred candidate on the people. The documents and results have reportedly been taken to Abuja, where they are being kept, not at the party secretariat, but at Dickson’s residence,” the source claimed.
The unrest is not limited to Bayelsa. On Wednesday, the party was rocked by protests from aspirants in Imo State, who accused influential figures of attempting to hijack the nomination process.
Some leaders of the party are accusing some influential members of running NDC as their personnal fiefdoms.
Uche Nwole, a former member of the House of Representatives, alleged that powerful interests within the party were working to undermine the outcome of the primaries.
He warned that he and other stakeholders would resist any attempt to subvert the democratic process.
“We will not allow democracy to be hijacked by any individual,” Nwole said. “Political parties must remain institutions governed by rules, transparency and collective decision-making.”
Similar disputes have also been reported in Enugu and Delta states. In Delta, former Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege is reportedly locked in a fierce contest over the party’s senatorial ticket for Delta Central, further highlighting the growing challenges confronting the opposition party ahead of the next electoral cycle.
