National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Seriake Dickson, has criticised the Obidient-Kwankwaso (OK) Movement over its decision to establish a 59-member presidential campaign council ahead of the 2027 election.
Dickson described the move as “nonsensical,” arguing that support groups are expected to mobilise support for political parties and their candidates rather than create structures that compete with the party.
He spoke on Tuesday in Abuja after a meeting of NDC stakeholders, where former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, formally joined the party several months after leaving the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The disagreement followed the OK Movement’s unveiling of a 59-member campaign committee on September 17. The group named John Ughulu as Director-General and Saadatu Sani as secretary, alongside coordinators and directors responsible for mobilisation, women’s affairs, strategy, security, legal affairs and other areas.
The OK Movement is a support organisation backing NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, in the 2027 election.
The NDC subsequently distanced itself from the structure, saying the campaign council did not originate from the party and should be disregarded. The movement responded that it did not require the approval of any individual within the party to carry out its organisational activities.
Speaking about the dispute, Dickson said the role of support groups was clearly different from that of political parties and their official campaign structures.
“Support groups don’t compete with the political party that is sponsoring candidates. Support groups don’t compete for supremacy and space,” he said.
“Support groups are what they are — support groups. They don’t play the role of political party. They don’t sponsor candidates.
“They provide grassroots support and mobilisation. They don’t convert themselves to become critics of the political party sponsored. They don’t attack the political party sponsored.”
Dickson said the NDC was familiar with the role support organisations could play in an election and had a place for such groups within its broader political structure.
He noted that other political parties, including the All Progressives Congress (APC), also have support groups, but argued that such organisations do not ordinarily establish separate presidential campaign councils.
“None of them (referring to support groups in other parties) will dare say they are setting up a presidential campaign council. It is unheard of. Nonsensical,” he said.
“And those who had a duty to educate and call people to order should do so.”
Despite the criticism, Dickson said the NDC was willing to work with support groups and acknowledged their importance to grassroots mobilisation.
He said he had already held meetings with Obidient groups and maintained that more support organisations were welcome to participate in the party’s activities, provided they operated within their expected roles.
The dispute comes as the NDC itself prepares to inaugurate its official Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 election. The party has said Obi and Kwankwaso will nominate key officials of the council in consultation with the party leadership, including the Director-General, deputy director-general for the North, campaign spokesman and deputy, Head of New Media, Finance Director and deputy.
