We Allowed Peter Obi Pick Kwankwaso Without Any Interference – Seriake Dickson

The National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Seriake Dickson, has stated that the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, was allowed to pick his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, without interference.

Naija News reports that Dickson made the disclosure during an NDC stakeholders’ meeting on Thursday.

He also said the NDC gave Obi the presidential candidate without collecting a dime from him.

Dickson questioned what Obi’s supporters, the Obidients, want from him and the party.

“We gave Obi the presidential ticket free of charge and allowed him to choose his vice presidential candidate without any interference from the party. What else do people want?

“I will have no issues giving the presidential nomination to them. And like I said last night, nobody demanded money from them. Not me or the national chairman.

“At this point, we should be working together to ensure victory at the polls come 2027, and I believe we can do it,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dickson has dismissed claims that the NDC sells its nomination tickets.

He argued that there was no truth to claims that some states had been captured by influential individuals who allegedly control access to party tickets.

The NDC national leader maintained that narratives were not supported by evidence at the national leadership level.

Naija News reports that Dickson stated this during an appearance on Arise News on Wednesday.

He stated that the party was actively addressing grievances raised by members in several states, including Edo and Imo, where aspirants have protested alleged irregularities and breaches of electoral guidelines.

“In many cases, there were 15 or 20 aspirants seeking the same position, which naturally created intense competition and disputes,” he noted.

On accusations that wealth determined access to governorship tickets, he was categorical in his response: “The NDC does not sell nomination forms or tickets based on wealth. Nobody has come forward with evidence that the National Working Committee or the national leadership collected money in exchange for tickets.”

However, he acknowledged that financial capacity remains a practical consideration in electoral politics.

“In politics, resources matter. Every political party considers whether an aspirant has the capacity and resources to run a viable campaign,” he said, stressing that this should not be misconstrued as commercialisation of party tickets.

Dickson maintained that while internal disagreements exist, they are being managed within the party’s structures and should not be interpreted as evidence of systemic collapse.