A public affairs analyst, Mahmud Jega, has commended former Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, for forming the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, instead of joining the ruling party.

Featuring in an interview on Arise Television’s ‘Prime Time’ on Wednesday, Jega said the NDC has attracted so much crowd within a short period of time, noting that Dickson took a bold decision.

According to him, the NDC has become popular and one of the top three parties within the short time it was formed.

“It was quite courageous of him. Most people who leave opposition parties often join the APC, including governors, believing it offers a stronger structure and financial backing.

“However, he chose a different path. Instead of joining the APC, he went ahead to form an opposition party, which was a bold decision.

“He also managed to convince many people to join him in building and sustaining it. He also made a valid point by saying there’s no democracy without opposition,” Jega said.

The Special Assistant to the African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, has insisted that the primary election that produced the former Vice president as the party’s flag bearer was not fraudulent.

Shaibu downplayed dismissed allegations by the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Babachir Lawal that the ADC’s primary election was rigged.

In an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, Shaibu maintained that the ADC’s primary election was not  manipulated.

Shaibu maintained that the burden of proving the allegations rests on Lawal.

According to him, Atiku was the most popular among the contestants, which included former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi and Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, making his victory unsurprising.

“Anybody who claims rigging or irregularity in the last election should check the places and locations they won. Where are the states that Rotimi Amaechi won?

“If you check the figures and the margins he got there, you will know that those are his strongholds. It was not a fraudulent process,” he said.

Shaibu also likened Lawal’s reaction to that of a baby throwing tantrums after being deprived of its mother’s breast.

“Babachir reminds me of a baby who is yanked off her mother’s breast while suckling. It is like a deprived suckling; definitely the baby will throw tantrums.

“He admitted on your show that his preferred candidate was Hayatu-Deen. He worked for him,” Shaibu said.

Former presidential aide, Bashir Ahmad, says the flag bearer of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Peter Obi and his running mate, Rabi’u Kwankwaso, will dump the party if their expectations are not realized.

Ahmad made this statement in a post on his verified X handle.

According to him, Peter Obi and Kwankwaso see the NDC primarily as a vehicle for the 2027 elections.

He added that the difference in political timelines and objectives could make it difficult for the party’s national leader, Seriake Dickson, and Obi/Kwankwaso’s ambitions to align sustainably.

“If Obi and Kwankwaso’s expectations are not realised within the party, they will definitely move on to another platform ahead of the 2031 for the same reason.

“It is obvious that Dickson is only pursuing a long-term political project, not a short-term electoral arrangement.

“From what I understood, his focus is to build a formidable political platform this time that could position him strongly for presidency in 2031 or so,” he wrote.