Direct primaries fuel internal party conflicts – Dickson

National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and former Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, has renewed his criticism of Nigeria’s direct primary system, arguing that it is a major driver of internal party disputes and widespread complaints across political parties.

Speaking during an Arise Television interview, Dickson said the inclusion of mandatory direct primaries in the Electoral Act was, in his view, a legislative error that stripped political parties of the flexibility to determine their own candidate selection processes.

He argued that political parties should have been allowed to choose between direct and indirect primaries, insisting that the imposition of a single model has created avoidable tensions.

According to him, the previous delegate system offered greater structure and control, reducing disputes and limiting the scale of contestation compared to the current arrangement.

“We did not have this deluge of complaints under the delegated system,” he said, adding that reforms were intended to deepen democracy but had also introduced significant logistical and administrative challenges.

Dickson noted that under the current framework, electoral bodies such as INEC are required to coordinate extensive ward-level processes, a task he described as highly complex, especially for new and emerging political parties.

He further argued that the direct primary system has created an environment where multiple aspirants can independently declare victory based on differing claims and interpretations of results, leading to parallel announcements and disputes.

“In a direct primary situation, people go into the field, gather supporters, declare themselves winners and begin to brandish results,” he said.

While acknowledging that grievances are not unique to any single party, Dickson maintained that the system itself contributes significantly to internal conflicts and competing claims within political organisations.

Direct primaries fuel internal party conflicts – Dickson