Breaking: NDC to conduct Direct Primaries Nationwide May 28-29

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has officially announced that its nationwide direct primary elections for various elective positions will commence on May 28 and 29, 2026, following the conclusion of marathon consultations involving the party leadership and key stakeholders.
The announcement was contained in a statement issued by the National Leader of the party, Seriake Dickson, after an emergency meeting involving the National Chairman, presidential aspirant Peter Obi, members of the National Working Committee (NWC), the Selection Committee, and the Screening Committee chaired by former Ebonyi State governor, Sam Egwu.
According to the statement, deliberations lasted through the night into the early hours of the morning due to the overwhelming number of aspirants seeking to contest under the platform of the NDC ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Dickson praised the Screening Committee for what he described as a painstaking and rigorous exercise, noting that the number of aspirants far exceeded the expectations of the party leadership.
“We thank all the aspirants for their confidence in the NDC, as well as those who made donations to the party and chose our platform to express their political ambitions across the country. Their numbers run into thousands, and we wish them the very best,” the statement read.
The party disclosed that, due to time constraints and the urgency of preparations for the 2027 elections, all aspirants who purchased Expression of Interest Forms would automatically qualify to participate in the primaries within their constituencies.
However, only successful candidates emerging from the primaries would proceed to the party secretariat for further documentation, payment for nomination forms, and completion of additional electoral requirements.
The NDC also confirmed the deployment of senior party officials and specially constituted primary election teams to all states of the federation to supervise the exercise in collaboration with stakeholders and local leaders.
The party emphasized that its structure remains youth- and women-friendly, urging officials supervising the exercise to remain fair, transparent, and open-minded while identifying aspirants with genuine electoral capacity.
“We call for violence-free primaries and reiterate our zero tolerance for violent behaviour. The party will take serious action against anyone who resorts to violence, threats, intimidation, or disorderly conduct,” Dickson warned.
Under the approved guidelines, direct primaries for State House of Assembly positions will hold at constituency levels, while House of Representatives, Senate, governorship, and presidential affirmation exercises will take place at various Local Government Headquarters nationwide.
The final results of the exercise are expected to be announced at the party’s National Secretariat by the Selection Committee and the National Executive Council (NEC).
The party further revealed that an Appeal Panel would be inaugurated immediately to address grievances and petitions arising from the exercise.
Addressing concerns over the adoption of manual voting procedures, Dickson admitted that the NDC had originally planned to deploy a fully electronic primary system but was constrained by limited time and logistics.
“As I said at the dinner with aspirants, this will be the last primary election in the NDC to be conducted manually. We understand that the manual process may not be perfect due to time constraints and logistical challenges, and we ask everyone to bear with us,” he stated.
He assured members that future congresses and primary elections would be conducted electronically to reduce complaints, improve transparency, and modernize internal party democracy.
Dickson concluded by calling on party officials, stakeholders, INEC representatives, and security agencies to work together to ensure peaceful, credible, and transparent primaries across the country.
“Bear with us and join us as we strive to build an enduring modern political institution, not a special-purpose vehicle for any individual political interest, but a party that will outlast all of us,” he added.
NDC — Service!