The National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Seriake Dickson, has urged the party’s candidates to intensify their campaigns across the country following the upload of the NDC’s approved logo on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal.
Dickson, a former governor of Bayelsa State, made the call in a post on his verified X handle on Tuesday while reacting to the development, which followed a court judgment concerning the party’s logo.
He expressed appreciation to the Nigerian judiciary and the INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, as well as members of the commission’s team, for complying with the court judgment.
The NDC leader also commended the party’s National Chairman, Moses Cleopas, and members of the National Executive Committee for their efforts.
According to Dickson, the approval and upload of the logo would provide the party’s candidates with greater certainty as they prepare for the 2027 elections.
He therefore called on members of the party to ensure that its candidates are able to campaign and communicate their messages across the country without intimidation.
“Our approved logo has now been uploaded, and candidates can print campaign materials and continue their consultations and campaigns with certainty,” he said.
Dickson described the NDC as a party prepared to defend its political interests, saying it had resisted attempts to use the judiciary against it.
“We are fighters, and we will fight until the end. We have resisted those who sought to use the judiciary against the party, and they have failed,” he stated.
He also advised the party’s candidates to work closely with the NDC at different levels when constituting their campaign teams.
Dickson warned the candidates against operating as though they were independent contestants, urging them to avoid actions that could undermine the party’s electoral efforts.
“I call on all candidates to work with the party at all levels in the composition of their campaign teams as they are not independent candidates and avoid self-sabotage,” he said.
He further described the NDC as a product of vision, dedication and commitment to democratic ideals, saying the party was determined to defend Nigerians’ democratic rights and promote multi-party democracy.
Meanwhile, the NDC presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has said he would exercise direct control over his administration if elected president in 2027.
Obi made the statement while discussing the administration of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari and its handling of corruption.
Speaking in an interview with the BBC, the former Anambra State governor said Buhari was not sufficiently in charge of his administration, stressing that his approach would be different.
“He (Buhari) was not in charge. The difference is that I would be in charge,” Obi said.
The NDC candidate also reiterated his position on fuel subsidy, saying he would restore the subsidy if elected while tackling the corruption he identified as a major problem associated with the policy.
Obi said his administration would focus on eliminating corruption from the subsidy system rather than abandoning the subsidy altogether.
“From day one, I talked about subsidy. Corruption is the problem with subsidy. I will remove the corruption and return the subsidy,” he said.
He argued that corruption could be substantially reduced if those responsible for managing the subsidy system were prevented from benefiting from it.
“If you are not stealing, if you are not involved, and your wife and family are not involved, then you reduce it by 50 per cent,” Obi stated.
He reiterated that his administration would seek to restore the fuel subsidy while addressing the corruption he believes has undermined the policy.
“If I win, I’ll bring back the fuel subsidy and remove the corruption,” he said.
