The National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Seriake Dickson, has warned support groups backing the party and its presidential ticket against attempting to compete with the party or assume the functions of its official campaign structures.

Dickson said support groups had an important role to play in mobilising voters and propagating the candidacies of Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso ahead of the 2027 general elections, but must operate within clearly defined boundaries.

His comments came amid a recent dispute over the activities of the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement, a support organisation for the NDC presidential and vice-presidential candidates, which recently announced a 59-member presidential campaign council.

The NDC subsequently dissociated itself from the council, saying the structure did not emanate from the party.

Speaking on the issue when the party received former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, at his Abuja residence on Tuesday, Dickson said the emergence of multiple support groups was normal in electoral politics, but stressed that they must complement rather than rival the political party.

“These are things that we are taking for granted. We must have support groups. As party managers and experienced people who have been in the trade, these are normal things. These are things that don’t even call for discussion or conversation or even argument. It’s normal,” he said.

“You have the TPO, you have several support groups. Several, several 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. They don’t play the role of the political party. They don’t sponsor candidates. They provide grassroots support, mobilisation support.

“They don’t convert themselves to become critics of the political party sponsoring them. They don’t attack the political party sponsoring them. They don’t do that.”

Dickson noted that the NDC had a structure responsible for coordinating support groups and would continue to welcome more organisations willing to mobilise support for its candidates.

“Never in the history everywhere in the world have support groups set up a campaign presidential campaign council. It’s unheard of and those who have a duty to educate and call people to order should do so,” he said.

He, however, stressed that the party was not opposed to the activities of support organisations, saying their contribution would be critical to the NDC’s grassroots mobilisation ahead of the election.

“That does not mean that they don’t have a role. We work with them. There’s a role for them. Link with the campaign teams when set up, link with the party at the grassroots and in the states and galvanise support,” he said.

“Your work is huge. Big. So focus on that work, which is providing support for our candidates, galvanising support at the grassroots level, propagating the candidates and the party. That’s the way it is done.”

Responding to questions over the NDC’s performance in recent National Assembly by-elections, he said the party was deliberately conserving its resources for the general elections.

“You know, by-elections are not things an opposition party and a new party should come and dissipate energy on,” he said.

“The small resources you have, you go and push your agenda. We are waiting to mobilise and show strength, as you said, in the main election.”

He said the party’s strength would become more visible as its campaigns gathered momentum, particularly towards January and February 2027.

“You will see the strength of NDC. In fact, you will see it before then, when we roll out our campaigns,” he said.

Speaking further, he condemned alleged attacks and violence against opposition parties in different parts of the country, calling on security agencies to identify and prosecute perpetrators.

“Let me on that note call for cessation of violence and attacks meted out to opposition parties in so many states. We have condemned this several times. I want to use this opportunity to condemn them,” Dickson said.

He called for action against perpetrators, saying: “There have to be consequences for that misbehaviour and encouragement of violence and criminality and brigandage.”

Dickson said security agencies should receive greater support to deal with political violence, adding that those responsible for attacks should be identified and punished.

“So that those who are trying to introduce needless violence and brigandage, whether in Benue, whether in Imo, whether in other parts of the country, in Lagos and everywhere, they need to be stopped, they need to be identified, they need to be punished,” he said.

He urged political actors to respect the rules of the electoral contest as the 2027 elections approach. (Daily Sun)