Senator Seriake Dickson has said he is more qualified to contest for Nigeria’s presidency than leading opposition figures Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, while insisting that he chose not to seek the office.
Dickson made the remarks on Wednesday during an appearance on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme, where he addressed questions about the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), its leadership, and the party’s relationship with Obi.
The senator said the NDC provided its platform to Obi without demanding any payment, stressing that the party and its leadership deserved recognition for making him the sole presidential candidate. According to him, neither Obi nor his running mate paid any money to secure their nominations.
Dickson argued that the narrative suggesting the NDC was benefiting from Obi’s presence in the party was misplaced, maintaining that the party was instead offering a platform to the former Labour Party presidential candidate.
He also dismissed reports of a crisis within the NDC, saying Obi remains a valued member of the party and that both sides are working together harmoniously.
Dickson blamed tensions on some supporters whom he accused of disparaging the party while claiming to support Obi.
The former Bayelsa governor further disclosed that several politicians had approached the NDC before Obi joined the platform, arguing that the party should be respected for the role it has played in building an alternative political movement ahead of the 2027 elections.
Dickson said: “If we didn’t like them, if they are not people who have confidence in me or I have confidence in them, we wouldn’t offer the platform.
“And they didn’t pay one naira. They didn’t pay ‘shishi’. Okay, nobody pays ‘shishi’.
“So, if a presidential candidate didn’t pay shishi to be made sole presidential candidate, and a vice-presidential candidate didn’t pay shishi to become sole vice-presidential candidate, that same party cannot be the one saying …
“I think that I have to be given the credit. There is no one more qualified than me to run for the presidency. And for some reasons, I did not want to.
“So don’t make it look like anyone is doing me and the NDC a favour. No one is. Rather, the NDC is the one granting a platform, and that narrative is important.
“You cannot be supporting Peter Obi, if you are genuinely supportive, and at the same time discouraging me, the leader, or the platform itself. That is nonsense. If it were easy for people to form a party, if it were easy…
“Now, before Peter, I received Binani from Adamawa and several other people for five months. People should be careful. Okay, as we move on, the platform is there.
“Peter Obi is a cherished member of the party, and on our own, we have made him the sole presidential candidate. And that counts for something.
“And we are working well together.
“There’s no crisis. It is these supporters who I don’t know what they gain by disparaging the platform.”
