2027: NDC reacts to Dickson’s alleged plot to sabotage Peter Obi, Kwankwaso

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has denied allegations that its National Leader, Seriake Dickson, was plotting to sabotage the NDC presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, during the 2027 general election.

The NDC national spokesperson, Osa Director, in a statement on Monday, described the allegations as “malicious lies.”

Mr Director said contrary to the claims, Mr Dickson has no plans to work for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 election.

“Our National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, is not a front for the ruling APC or anyone else.

“He has no secret or open deal whatsoever with the ruinous and diabolical APC regime,” he said.

He stressed that the party would have chosen to ignore what he termed “the beer-parlour talk and murmurs” circulating on social media, but decided to debunk it to “prevent people from believing lies”.

“Anyone who knows Senator Dickson’s public service record, and is in his right senses, will not associate him with any under-the-table arrangement to sabotage his own party and its presidential candidate and running mate, Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso,” he stated.

The NDC spokesperson argued that Mr Dickson, a serving senator, could have taken “the easy way out” by joining the APC.

“Instead, he chose the hard, honourable path of building a party with like-minds; a party that will liberate Nigeria from the vice grip of the buccaneers currently in power,” he said.

Mr Director stressed that Mr Dickson’s “consistent, courageous and principled position” in the Senate for over seven years was a clear testament to his strength of character and unwavering solidarity with suffering Nigerians.

“Consequently, it is wicked, vexatious and mendacious to associate his name with any compromise with the ruling APC and its key drivers.

“We are fully aware that these unfounded and baseless allegations are emanating from the ranks of our political opponents, who are envious of the growing popularity, acceptability and organic spread of the NDC across the length and breadth of Nigeria,” he claimed.

From AD, PDP, and NDC

Mr Dickson began his political career in the now defunct Alliance for Democracy. The politician later served as the AD chairman in Bayelsa State from 1998 to 2000.

He subsequently served as the party’s national legal adviser in 2000.

In 2005, Mr Dickson joined the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before emerging as the commissioner for justice and attorney-general of Bayelsa State under the administration of the then-Governor Goodluck Jonathan from 2006 to 2007.

He was subsequently elected as a House of Representatives member for Sagbama/Ekeremor Federal Constituency from 2007 to 2012 under the PDP platform and later served as Bayelsa governor from 2012 to 2020.

The politician won a senatorial election in 2020 to represent Bayelsa West District under the PDP platform. He won re-election in 2023.

In March this year, he left the PDP and joined the NDC, which he founded ahead of the 2027 general election.