All Expression of Interest Holders Will Contest NDC Primaries

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has announced that every candidate who has purchased an Expression of Interest (EOI) form will be eligible to compete in the party’s forthcoming primaries nationwide.

This decision came after extensive discussions among party leaders, members of the National Working Committee, and the Selection Committee. The committee, headed by former governor Sam Egwu, submitted its screening report following several days of work.

Party National Leader Senator Seriake Dickson revealed the move in a post shared on X on Thursday.

He explained that, after reviewing the large number of aspirants who expressed interest in the NDC ticket, the party chose a more inclusive approach because of time constraints.

“Following the briefing at the joint meeting of the Selection Committee and Screening Committee, it was decided that all those who purchased Expression of Interest forms would be allowed to participate in the primaries in their various constituencies,” he said.

According to Dickson, only those who succeed in the primary process will need to go to the party secretariat to complete documentation and pay nomination fees.

He added that the party has deployed teams across the states to conduct the primaries with the support of stakeholders and local leaders.

“Our party is women‑ and youth‑friendly. We urge the teams to be fair, open and ensure that only credible candidates with winning capacity emerge,” he said.

He also warned against violence during the process, stating that the party would not tolerate any form of misconduct.

“We call for violence‑free primaries and reiterate our zero tolerance for violent behaviour,” he added.

According to him, the party will rely on manual direct primaries for this cycle because of time constraints, but it plans to adopt electronic systems in future elections.

“As I said earlier, this will be the last manual primary. Future exercises will be fully electronic,” he stated.

Dickson further urged members to support the process, emphasizing that the party is being built as a long‑term political institution rather than a platform for individual interests.