Seriake Dickson, national leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has said the opposition party is not indebted to any of its candidates, including its 2027 presidential flagbearer, Peter Obi, insisting that the party is providing aspirants with a platform to pursue elective offices.
Gatekeepers News reports that Dickson, speaking on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Wednesday, rejected claims that the NDC should be grateful to Obi or any other political figure for joining the party.
“Don’t make it look like anyone is doing NDC a favour. No one is,” Dickson said.
“Rather, the NDC and I and my colleagues are doing people a favour by granting our platform.”
The former Bayelsa State governor also cautioned Obi’s supporters against attacking the party and its leaders, arguing that such actions could weaken the political platform backing their preferred candidate.
“If you are genuinely supporting Peter Obi and you are disparaging me, the leader, or the platform itself. That is nonsensical,” he said.
Dickson said the NDC had demonstrated its confidence in Obi by adopting him as its sole presidential candidate and selecting a vice-presidential candidate without internal disputes.
“Nobody paid shishi. So, if a presidential candidate didn’t pay shishi to be made the sole presidential candidate and sole vice-presidential candidate, that same party cannot be the one saying that small people are underprivileged,” he said.
The senator also dismissed suggestions that he lacked the political credentials to contest for the presidency himself.
“I could have run. There’s no one more qualified than me. There’s no one more qualified than me to run for presidential candidate. None,” he added.
Dickson further stated that the NDC had attracted politicians and supporters from across the country before Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso joined the party, stressing that its growth was not dependent on any single individual.
He also dismissed reports of internal disagreements between party leaders and supporters of the presidential ticket, maintaining that there was no crisis within the party.
“Peter Obi is a cherished member of our party,” he said.
“On our own, we have made him a presidential candidate. Sole presidential candidate. And that counts for something. We are working well together. There’s no crisis.”
Dickson added that while supporters may not feel obliged to thank those who built the party, they should recognise that attacks on the platform could ultimately undermine the candidates they support.
