Dickson talks about NDC possibly teaming up with ADC for 2027 elections

The leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Seriake Dickson, has said the party is open to teaming up with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 general elections.

Mr Dickson, who is the senator for Bayelsa West District, made this known on Sunday night during an interview on Channels TV’s Sunday Politics.

He proudly stated that even though the NDC was formed just five months ago, it has quickly become Nigeria’s top opposition party.

Seun Okinbaloye, the host of the show, asked if the NDC would think about joining forces with other opposition figures in the ADC, including Atiku Abubakar, the ADC’s presidential candidate for 2027.

“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 replied.

He emphasized that any coalition must not change 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 added.

Mr Dickson rejected claims that the NDC would struggle to challenge President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.

He argued that Mr Tinubu and the APC would lose in a fair election.

“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 NDC leader suggested that the APC-led federal government should let all opposition parties join the 2027 elections if it is confident of winning.

“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 urged.

Last Friday, the Federal High Court in Lokoja, Kogi State, set aside its earlier judgment that ordered INEC to register the NDC as a political party.

But Mr Dickson called the court ruling “frivolous and a distraction.”

“It’s a court that ordinarily doesn’t have jurisdiction to sit on appeal over its own earlier judgments.

“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 judgment on a matter, the court shouldn’t have any business with anyone who is complaining.”

The NDC leader insisted that the party has 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.

The former governor of Bayelsa claimed that not submitting its candidates to INEC does 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.