National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Seriake Dickson, has clarified that the party’s recognition of political support groups does not extend to allowing them to operate as parallel structures to the party.

Dickson said support groups backing the NDC’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, have an important role in grassroots mobilisation but cannot assume the functions of the political party or its official campaign organisation.

He made the clarification in Abuja while receiving former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, into the NDC.

His comments followed the controversy over the 59-member Presidential Campaign Council announced by the Obi-Kwankwaso (OK) Movement.

The NDC has dissociated itself from the council, saying it was not authorised by the party and should be disregarded.

Dickson said the distinction between the party and support organisations was straightforward, stressing that support groups should complement the NDC rather than compete with it for political space or authority.

“Support groups don’t compete with the political party that is sponsoring candidates. Support groups don’t compete for supremacy, for space,” he said.

According to him, support groups are expected to provide grassroots mobilisation and promote the candidates, while working with the official campaign structure once constituted.

He also cautioned such groups against attacking or positioning themselves as critics of the political party whose candidates they support.

Dickson said the NDC had a structure for coordinating support groups and remained willing to work with the various organisations mobilising support for Obi and Kwankwaso.

He particularly questioned the decision of the OK Movement to establish what it described as a Presidential Campaign Council.

“None of them will dare say they are setting up a presidential campaign council. It’s unheard of. Nonsensical,” Dickson said, urging those responsible for coordinating support groups to educate them on their roles.

The clarification comes against the backdrop of the NDC’s own preparations to inaugurate its official Presidential Campaign Council.

The party has said Obi and Kwankwaso would nominate key officers of the council in consultation with the NDC leadership, including the Director-General, Deputy Director-General (North), spokesman, deputy spokesman, Head of New Media and finance officials.

The OK Movement, however, maintains that it is an independent political organisation rather than an appendage of the NDC. Its Director-General, John Ughulu, said the movement has its own structures at national, state, local government and ward levels and would retain control of them.

Ughulu said the movement supports Obi and Kwankwaso but does not regard that political alignment as organisational subordination to the NDC.

The dispute therefore centres on the boundary between the NDC’s formal party and campaign machinery and the independent structures of organisations mobilising support for its candidates.