National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Seriake Dickson, has distanced himself from the Obidient and Kwankwasiyya political movements, saying his loyalty remains firmly with the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Dickson made the clarification while appearing on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme on Wednesday.
The former Bayelsa State governor was speaking about the political relationship between the NDC and the support groups associated with the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
The two politicians have brought their respective political structures into the NDC as the party positions itself for the 2027 presidential contest.
Dickson, however, made it clear that his personal political identity should not be confused with either of the two movements.
“I’m not a member of Kwankwasiyya. I’m not a member of Obedient. I am NDC,” Dickson said.
While the Obidient movement has largely been associated with Obi and his supporters, the Kwankwasiyya movement is closely linked to Kwankwaso and has maintained a strong political base, particularly in Kano and other parts of northern Nigeria.
Dickson said the two groups have the right to maintain their separate identities. He explained that their existence outside the formal structure of the NDC does not change the fact that Obi and Kwankwaso are now the party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
“Kwankwasiyya has a right to be on its own under the constitution, and same for the Obedient group. Their principals are our candidates, presidential candidate and running-mate,” he said.
The NDC national leader said the party had moved beyond the stage of deciding who would represent it in the 2027 presidential election.
According to him, the immediate challenge before the party is no longer an internal contest for its ticket but the task of taking its message to voters across the country.
“There are no internal battles to fight in the NDC. We have decided candidature. The next stage of the battle, strategically, is to win the election,” he said.
Dickson therefore called for greater concentration on the election rather than disagreements among the different political groups associated with the party.
He said members and supporters should work towards building the party and campaigning for its candidates instead of allowing differences between the various support bases to distract from the larger objective.
Obi and Kwankwaso formally joined the party in May after leaving the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Their movement into the NDC was followed by the emergence of Obi as the party’s presidential candidate and Kwankwaso as his running mate.
Dickson has remained at the centre of efforts to keep the different interests within the party together.
In August, he held several meetings with Obi, Kwankwaso and other senior party leaders as preparations for the party’s campaign council and nationwide campaign activities gathered momentum.
Dickson had also urged members and stakeholders to close ranks and work collectively for the party’s candidates.
The NDC has also been working on its electoral structures across the states.
Kwankwaso recently coordinated the submission of the party’s candidates in the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory, marking another stage in the party’s preparations for the general elections.
Dickson said his relationship with Obi and Kwankwaso did not begin with the formation of the current political alliance.
He explained that the three politicians had interacted politically over the years and had at different times worked together or found themselves on the same side of political debates.
“I have held several meetings and even before now, we used to meet over the years. We have been colleagues, partners and friends, sometimes in the same camp, in the same party, other times, but always meeting,” he said.
The former Bayelsa governor said those previous interactions had helped shape the relationship among the leaders as they now work together under the NDC.
He also stressed that the political partnership should be viewed from the perspective of the party’s broader electoral objective.
For Dickson, the immediate priority is to secure victory for the NDC in the 2027 election.
“We have a partnership that is committed to winning the next elections. That is the most important thing,” Dickson said.
