NDC not proxy for APC, says Dickson
• Ex-governor insists party registration secured By Sanni Onogu, Abuja The National Leader of the newly formed Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, has defended the legitimacy and
• Ex-governor insists party registration secured
By Sanni Onogu, Abuja
The National Leader of the newly formed Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, has defended the legitimacy and independence of the newly formed political party.
He dismissed the claim that the NDC is a proxy of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), insisting that there is no legal dispute surrounding its registration.
Dickson spoke on a national television programme amid growing political speculation about the new party.
The former Bayelsa State governor said NDC’s registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) followed due process and complied with a court order.
The Bayelsa West senator insisted that “there’s no litigation against NDC registration” and that INEC “has already implemented the court order and cannot reverse”.
He rejected claims that either INEC or the ruling APC was seeking to challenge the party in court, describing such claims as baseless.
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Dickson also debunked the clam that the NDC was created to weaken opposition forces or serve the interests of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He said: “I’m used to this kind of bully tactics.”
The former governor said he is “not someone who is swayed by propaganda and blackmail”. He added that “no one has opposed the policy and administration of President Tinubu more than me”.
Dickson pointed to his record in the Senate as evidence of his independence.
The ex-governor described the NDC as an ideological platform established to bring together Nigerians who share similar democratic values.
According to him, the party remains open to engagement with other political groups but is not aligned with any existing party.
He emphasised the constitutional right to political association, saying: “No one can blackmail or bully me or any other Nigerian to belong to a party or form a party or take one view or the other. That’s blackmail, and you don’t do that.”
Answering critics who have urged him and his supporters to align with other opposition platforms, such as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) or the Labour Party (LP), Dickson insisted that Nigerians must be allowed to make independent political choices.
He said: “Democracy means you have the right and the freedom to be in the ADC, to be in the APC… to be in the Labour Party… Thousands of Nigerians… also have a right to be in the NDC.
“We have no duty or obligation to belong to the APC or to be available to support any presidential aspirant that people support.”
He also alleged that some individuals who publicly identify as members of the opposition are aligned with the current administration.
Dickson said: “Most of the people who say they are opposition… are the people in bed with the present administration.”
The former governor maintained that he has remained consistent in his political stance over the years.
Referencing his political history, Dickson reiterated his willingness to always speak out on national issues. He described the criticism facing the NDC as part of a broader pattern experienced by emerging political movements.
Dickson said: “First, they will ignore you; then they will laugh at you; then they will attack you… When that happens, then you win.”
Rather than dissolve into ADC, APC, or any other party, Dickson said the NDC was formed to run against and defeat the known big parties.
“The NDC will field candidates for all positions in the next general election - from the Presidency all the way down to the state Houses of Assembly, and even the council polls,” he said.
