Only Primary Winners To Pay Nomination Fees, NDC Declares

Dickson made the disclosure in a statement shared via his official handle on Wednesday, following a joint meeting involving key organs of the party, including the National Chairman, Cleopas Moses, presidential aspirant Peter Obi, members of the National Working Committee, as well as the selection and screening committees.

He explained that the decision was reached due to limited time ahead of the deadline for the completion of the party’s primaries. According to him, all aspirants who purchased Expression of Interest forms will be allowed to participate in the primaries across their respective constituencies, while only successful candidates will proceed to the party secretariat for documentation and payment of nomination fees.

“The teams for the primaries have been selected, comprising senior officials of the party, and have been deployed to every state to conduct the exercise with the support of stakeholders and local leaders. We wish them success in this important assignment,” the statement read.

Dickson, who represents Bayelsa West Senatorial District, stated that the deployed teams are expected to work closely with stakeholders and local leaders to ensure a transparent and credible process. He urged officials to remain fair, open, and guided by the collective interest of the party, emphasizing that the NDC remains a platform for all members, including women and youths, with a strong focus on electability.

He further announced that the party’s primaries have been scheduled for May 28 and 29, adding that direct primaries for State House of Assembly seats will be conducted at the constituency level, while House of Representatives, Senate, governorship, and presidential affirmations will take place at local government headquarters.

The NDC leader also disclosed the inauguration of an appeal panel to address grievances arising from the exercise, while urging aspirants and their supporters to maintain peace throughout the process. He warned that the party would not tolerate intimidation, violence, or disorderly conduct from any quarter.

Dickson noted that although the party initially planned to conduct its primaries electronically, the system could not be fully implemented due to time constraints, adding that the NDC remains committed to adopting electronic voting in future elections. He described the current exercise as the last manually conducted primary process within the party.