Seriake Dickson hosts Kwankwaso in Abuja as the NDC reviews northern mobilisation and strengthens preparations for the 2027 general election
Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, national leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, hosted the party’s vice-presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, in Abuja on Thursday, 20 August 2026, as the opposition party stepped up preparations for the 2027 general election.
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Kwankwaso arrived with a delegation comprising NDC governorship candidates, National Assembly candidates and other party stakeholders from the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The meeting followed a two-week exercise in which Kwankwaso coordinated the submission of the party’s candidates across the northern states and the FCT.
The names were subsequently submitted to Dickson as part of the party’s preparations for the election.
Dickson said Kwankwaso had been entrusted with the responsibility of leading the NDC’s party-building efforts across the North and praised the former Kano State governor for the work carried out within the available time.
In a statement shared on his verified X account, Dickson said: “I thanked Kwankwaso for the experience, capacity and extensive network he has deployed to this important assignment.”
The former Bayelsa governor said Kwankwaso’s intervention had helped address several issues that might otherwise have required his personal attention.
“For the past nine months, I have remained fully engaged in building the party, holding meetings with stakeholders across the states, giving confidence and hope to our members, resolving issues and encouraging everyone to work with their state leaders,” Dickson said.
The meeting comes at an important stage in the NDC’s development as the party attempts to build a nationwide structure around presidential candidate Peter Obi and Kwankwaso, who is his running mate for the 2027 presidential election.
Obi and Kwankwaso joined the NDC in May after leaving the African Democratic Congress, a move that significantly altered the opposition landscape ahead of the next presidential contest.
The two politicians were subsequently formally received into the NDC by Dickson in Abuja.
Kwankwaso’s role within the party has become particularly significant because of his political base in northern Nigeria.
The former Kano governor has been involved in mobilisation and organisational activities across the region as the NDC seeks to establish structures capable of competing nationally.
The latest exercise also reflects the importance of candidate coordination ahead of the election.
According to reports, Kwankwaso worked with the NDC’s National Working Committee to coordinate the submission of candidates across the 19 northern states and the FCT.
The relationship between Kwankwaso and the NDC leadership has, however, not been without challenges.
In June, Dickson held closed-door discussions with party members in Kano following disagreements involving the Kwankwasiya movement and other NDC stakeholders over the party’s primary elections and candidate selection.
The discussions were aimed at resolving internal differences and strengthening party cohesion.
The NDC subsequently said it would not tolerate the imposition of candidates and pledged to uphold internal democracy in the selection process.
There have also been legal questions surrounding the party’s registration.
A Federal High Court ruling in Lokoja set aside an earlier judgment concerning the NDC’s registration, prompting the party to pursue legal remedies.
Dickson has maintained that the party’s candidates remain valid and that the NDC is addressing the matter through the appropriate legal channels.
Despite those challenges, the party has continued its organisational work. Dickson has repeatedly described the NDC as a platform intended to strengthen Nigeria’s multi-party democracy, while the party has sought to present itself as a credible opposition force ahead of 2027.
The latest meeting therefore carried significance beyond a courtesy visit.
With candidate submissions completed across the North and the FCT, the attention is now shifting towards campaign organisation, grassroots mobilisation and resolving outstanding internal issues before the election season gathers further momentum.
Dickson said he was grateful to Kwankwaso and the northern candidates for their cooperation and described the former governor’s contribution to the party-building exercise as valuable.
He ended his message with an expression of confidence in the party’s prospects, saying: “By the grace of God, victory will be ours.”
For the NDC, the immediate task is to turn the growing political profile of its presidential ticket into an effective national organisation.
Also read: Osun Election: Rufai Slams Wike, APC Over Defeat
Thursday’s meeting in Abuja provided another public indication that Dickson and Kwankwaso are seeking to keep that process moving as the 2027 contest draws closer.
