NDC To Adopt Electronic Voting For Future Primaries

The National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Seriake Dickson, has announced plans by the party to introduce electronic voting for its future primary elections as part of broader reforms aimed at building what he described as a modern and institution-driven political platform.

Senator Dickson spoke on Monday night in Abuja during the inaugural Aspirants Dinner organised for stakeholders and all screened aspirants on the platform of the NDC.

The event, attended by party leaders, aspirants and supporters from across the country and the Diaspora, was convened to foster unity among members ahead of the party primaries and the general elections.

The party also inaugurated its 21-member Selection Committee, a body expected to work with party organs and caucus leaders in streamlining the candidate selection process following the completion of screening exercises for governorship, National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly aspirants.

Addressing participants at the gathering, Senator Dickson said the NDC was determined to depart from what he termed the traditional style of politics by embracing technology, institutional reforms and internal democracy.

“I assure you that this will be the last primary in the NDC that will be done in the old-fashioned way that Nigerian politics has been playing because of time,” he declared.

“All other primaries, even six months from now, this party will be set for electronic voting. Every registered voter will use their phone to vote because that is the direction Nigerian elections should be going.”

According to him, the party had already developed a digital voting platform and mobile application for the process, but decided against immediate deployment to allow for further testing and to prevent technical failures.

“The platform and the app are ready, but they still have to be robustly tested. We do not want glitches,” Senator Dickson said.

The proposed reform is coming amid growing controversies surrounding the open ballot system currently being adopted by major political parties across the country, with recent primaries of the ruling All Progrssives Congress (APC) attracting allegations of manipulated figures, inflated vote counts and procedural irregularities.

In some states, aggrieved aspirants petitioned party leaders over alleged fabrication of results and imposition of candidates, while videos circulating online showed disputed delegate counts during exercises in Ebonyi and other states.

The controversies deepened after the APC presidential primary reportedly produced nearly 11 million votes nationwide for President Bola Tinubu, figures that triggered public debate and allegations of inflated returns from opposition figures and political observers.

Senator Dickson explained that the party’s current reliance on conventional primary procedures was due largely to tight timelines imposed by the Electoral Act and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The former Bayelsa State governor urged aspirants and stakeholders to show understanding as the party navigates its first major electoral cycle barely three months after its registration.

“We are a new party with a big dream and a big agenda. We know the processes may not yet be perfect because of the constraints of time, but we are building systems that will endure,” he said.

Senator Dickson described the NDC as a “party of innovation,” insisting that its long-term objective was to establish a political institution that would outlive individual ambitions and personalities.

“The NDC is not a special purpose vehicle for any human being. We are building together a political party that will stand the test of time,” he stated.

He said the party intended to create leadership structures from the national level down to wards and polling units to ensure inclusion, participation and continuity.