The leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Seriake Dickson, has said the party remains open to possible coalition with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Mr Dickson, who represents Bayelsa West District in the Senate, spoke on Sunday night during an appearance on Channels TV’s Sunday Politics.
The national leader boasted that, despite being established five months ago, the NDC has become Nigeria’s leading opposition party.
Seun Okinbaloye, the programme anchor, asked the NDC official if the party would consider a possible coalition with other opposition politicians in ADC such as Atiku Abubakar, the AADC’s 2027 presidential candidate.
“As an opposition leader, we will be open to coalition discussions. Our party, the NDC, will be open to conversations within that space.
“After the nomination processes have ended, we’ll get to another phase of discussion (for coalition). Whether we’ll agree, I don’t know. I will try. Where it will lead to, I don’t know. But those are options that are open,” Mr Dickson responded.
The national leader, however, said such a coalition must not lead to a change of the NDC’s already elected candidates.
“We hope that whatever discussions take place will lead to the NDC candidates being backed because we know the value of the candidates we are putting forward. We are not claiming superiority,” he said.
‘NDC will defeat Tinubu, APC massively’
Mr Dickson dismissed insinuations that the NDC would be unable to challenge President Bola Tinubu and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), in 2027.
He argued that Mr Tinubu and the APC would be defeated in a free and fair electoral contest.
“As leader of the NDC, and as a Nigerian who knows the feelings and yearnings of Nigerians, and who also knows that their aspirations have not been met, we believe that the APC as a party, not just the President (Tinubu), will be defeated massively (in 2027),” he said.
The national leader suggested that the APC-led federal government should allow all opposition political parties to participate in the 2027 elections if it was sure of election victory.
“Allow every party that wants to contest. You can only defeat them in an electoral contest. So, let us have a free and fair election,” he said.
NDC not yet deregistered despite court ruling
Last Friday, the Federal High Court in Lokoja, Kogi State, set aside its earlier judgement directing INEC to register NDC as a political party.
But Mr Dickson described the court ruling as “frivolous and a distraction.”
“It’s a court that ordinarily doesn’t have jurisdiction to sit on appeal over its own earlier judgements.
“Basically, we disagree as a party about the legal basis and the propriety of the ruling,” he stated.
“Once a high court has given a judgement on a matter, the court shouldn’t have any business with anyone who is complaining.”
The NDC national leader argued that the party had not been deregistered despite the ruling.
“The NDC has not been deregistered. The NDC has validly nominated candidates for all elective offices in primaries monitored nationwide by INEC,” he said.
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The former Bayelsa governor contended that the inability of the NDC to submit its candidates to INEC did not affect the validity of the party’s primaries and nominations.
“I myself am also a senatorial candidate of the party. All nominations have been validly carried out, monitored by INEC, in accordance with the time frame given by INEC.
“The submission to INEC is an administrative procedure. So the NDC is still a party. The court itself did not deregister it. And no step has been taken whatsoever to that effect,” he said.
“So, I assure all our candidates and members that those nominations are valid.”
