National leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Seriake Dickson, has said the party's presidential candidate, Peter Obi, is not more qualified than him to contest for Nigeria's highest office.
Speaking on *Prime Time* on Arise Television on Wednesday, Dickson dismissed suggestions that Obi or any other political figure was doing the NDC a favour by joining the party.
“No one is more qualified than me to run for president. I could have run for president before they came, but for some reasons I chose not to,” he said.
He added that the NDC had provided a platform for politicians seeking elective positions, rather than the other way around.
“Don’t make it look like anyone is doing the NDC a favour. The NDC, my colleagues and I are the ones giving people an opportunity through our platform,” Dickson said.
His remarks come days after the NDC warned members of the Obidient and Kwankwasiyya movements against turning the party into a personality-driven organisation.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the party said it was committed to building a political institution based on party supremacy, internal discipline and transparency. The NDC stressed that its operations would not be shaped by the influence of individual politicians.
Dickson also explained his decision to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and establish the NDC.
According to him, a strong opposition remains essential to democratic governance, arguing that many politicians align with ruling parties for political advantages rather than principle.
“There is no democracy without opposition,” he said. “People often join ruling parties to benefit from federal influence, including support during elections and other political advantages. That is not the kind of politics I practise.”
The former Bayelsa State governor noted that he remained in opposition after the PDP lost power at the federal level in 2015 and said he was not intimidated by the challenges that come with opposition politics.
“Being in the opposition does not scare me,” Dickson said.
