RismadarVoice Reporters, May 27, 2026
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has approved all aspirants who purchased Expression of Interest Forms to participate in its primary elections scheduled for May 28 and 29, 2026.
The decision followed extensive deliberations involving the party’s National Chairman, presidential aspirant Peter Obi, members of the National Working Committee, Selection Committee, and the Screening Committee led by former Ebonyi State Governor, Sam Egwu.
National Leader of the party, Henry Seriake Dickson, announced the development in a statement issued after the meeting, explaining that the decision was necessitated by time constraints and the unexpectedly high number of aspirants across the country.
According to him, only successful candidates from the primaries would proceed to the party secretariat for documentation, payment of nomination fees, and completion of other required processes.
Dickson said teams comprising senior party officials had been deployed to all states to conduct the primaries with support from stakeholders and local leaders.
He stated that the party remained committed to promoting women and youth participation and urged officials overseeing the exercise to remain fair and transparent while considering candidates with strong electoral prospects.
The NDC leader also warned against violence, intimidation, and disorderly conduct during the primaries, stressing that the party maintained zero tolerance for any form of electoral violence.
He disclosed that State House of Assembly primaries would be conducted through direct primaries at constituency level, while primaries for House of Representatives, Senate, governorship, and presidential positions would be held at local government headquarters.
Dickson added that an Appeal Panel would be inaugurated to address complaints arising from the exercise, while final results would be announced at the party’s National Secretariat by the Selection Committee and the National Executive Committee.
He acknowledged challenges associated with the manual conduct of the primaries, attributing the situation to the limited time available to fully implement the party’s proposed electronic voting system.
“This will be the last primary election in the NDC to be conducted manually,” Dickson stated, assuring members that future congresses and primaries would be digitised to improve transparency and reduce disputes.
He urged party members and aspirants to support the process and work towards building what he described as “an enduring modern political institution.”
