The National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Seriake Dickson, has said political support groups must not compete with the party or create structures that perform the functions of its official campaign machinery.
Dickson spoke on Tuesday while receiving former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, into the NDC.
His comments came amid a disagreement between the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement, popularly known as the OK Movement, and the NDC over the creation of a 59-member Presidential Campaign Council.
The OK Movement is a support group backing the NDC presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, ahead of the 2027 election.
The movement announced the council on September 17, but the NDC subsequently dissociated itself from the structure, saying it did not originate from the party and should be disregarded.
The development has also coincided with the NDC’s efforts to establish its own official Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 election. The party has said Obi and Kwankwaso will nominate key officers of the council in consultation with its leadership.
Speaking about the role of support groups, Dickson said they were expected to mobilise support for candidates rather than compete with the political party sponsoring them.
“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.
Dickson also said support groups should not turn against the political parties they were established to 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.
The former Bayelsa State governor said the NDC had a department responsible for coordinating and registering support groups, adding that the party welcomed more organisations willing to mobilise support for its candidates.
He described the creation of a presidential campaign council by a support group as unusual and called on those responsible for educating political supporters 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.
The NDC leader stressed that support groups had an important role to play in the party’s campaign but should operate within the structure established by the party.
The development comes as the NDC works towards constituting its own Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 election.
The party said on Tuesday that Obi and Kwankwaso had been given the authority to nominate key officers of the council in consultation with the party leadership.
The positions include Director-General, Deputy Director-General for the North, campaign spokesman and deputy spokesman, Head of New Media, Finance Director and Deputy Finance Director.
According to the NDC, the arrangement followed consultations between Obi, Kwankwaso, Dickson and other party leaders as the party prepares to inaugurate its official campaign council.