The National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Senator Seriake Dickson, has warned political support groups against creating structures that rival the party’s official campaign machinery.
Dickson spoke on Tuesday when the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, joined the NDC.
His comments followed a disagreement between the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement, known as the OK Movement, and the NDC over the group’s announcement of a 59-member Presidential Campaign Council.
The OK Movement is a support organisation backing the NDC’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, ahead of the 2027 general election.
On September 17, the group announced the formation of the council, prompting the NDC to distance itself from the structure. The party said the council was not created by it and urged members of the public to disregard it.
The OK Movement subsequently maintained that it did not need the NDC’s approval to carry out its organisational activities.
Reacting to the dispute, Dickson said support groups were created to complement political parties through mobilisation and grassroots engagement, rather than establish parallel structures.
“You have several support groups. Support groups don’t compete with the political party that is sponsoring candidates. Support groups don’t compete for supremacy, for space.
“Support groups are what they are, support groups. They don’t play the role of a political party. They don’t sponsor candidates. They provide grassroots support, mobilisation support,” he said.
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He also cautioned support organisations against attacking or criticising the political parties whose candidates they support.
“They don’t convert themselves to become critics of the political party sponsoring. They don’t attack the political party sponsoring. They don’t do that,” he said.
According to the former Bayelsa State governor, the NDC has a department responsible for registering and coordinating support groups, adding that the party remains open to organisations willing to mobilise support for its candidates.
Dickson described the establishment of a presidential campaign council by a support group as unusual and called on those responsible for political education to intervene.
“None of them will dare say they are setting up a presidential campaign council. It’s unheard of. Nonsensical. And those who have a duty to educate and call people to order should do so,” Dickson said.
He maintained that support groups remained important to the party’s campaign efforts but should operate within the structure established by the NDC.
Meanwhile, the NDC is preparing to constitute its official Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 election.
The party announced on Tuesday that Obi and Kwankwaso had been authorised to nominate key officials for the council in consultation with the NDC leadership.
The positions to be filled include Director-General, Deputy Director-General for the North, campaign spokesman and deputy spokesman, Head of New Media, Finance Director and Deputy Finance Director.
The party said the arrangement followed consultations involving Obi, Kwankwaso, Dickson and other NDC leaders ahead of the inauguration of the official campaign council.