NDC Seeks Obidients’ Support, Not Criticism – Dickson

By Ayodele Oni

Former Bayelsa State Governor and Senator, Seriake Dickson, has defended the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi and his running mate, saying the party has implicit confidence in them which qualified them for the ticket.

Dickson, however, pushed back against claims that supporters of Peter Obi are doing the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) a favor by backing the party’s presidential ticket.

Speaking during an interview on Arise TV’s Prime Time Show, Dickson pointed out that the NDC existed and was attracting prominent politicians long before Obi and other opposition figures joined its platform.

According to him, Obi and his running mate were offered the party’s presidential ticket without paying any money, stressing that the NDC leadership voluntarily opened its platform to them because it had confidence in their candidacy.

Dickson rejected suggestions that the NDC needed Obi more than Obi needed the party, insisting that the narrative undermines the efforts of those who built the party from scratch.

“There is no one doing NDC a favor,” he said. “Rather, the NDC and my colleagues are doing people a favor by granting our platform to them.”

The senator also warned Obi’s supporters, popularly known as Obedients, against attacking the party or its leadership while claiming to support the former Anambra governor.

“You cannot be supporting Peter Obi, if you are genuinely supporting him, and at the same time disparaging me, the leader, or the platform itself. That is nonsensical,” Dickson stated.

He further challenged critics who believe political party formation is easy, saying they should attempt to register and build their own party structures.

“If it’s easy for people to form a party, go and form yours,” he said.

Dickson maintained that the NDC had been receiving influential politicians from across the country months before Obi and other opposition figures joined, citing former governors and political heavyweights who had already aligned with the party.

He urged supporters and political commentators to show greater respect for the platform, warning against narratives that portray the NDC as dependent on any single individual for relevance or survival.