There is an old saying in Nigerian politics: you do not insult the owner of a house and expect to be welcomed at the dining table. On Tuesday night, Senator Seriake Dickson reached for a version of that message as he delivered a blunt warning to supporters of Peter Obi.
The former Bayelsa State governor and serving senator made it clear that while the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) had embraced Obi and other opposition figures, it would not tolerate what he described as attacks on the party and its leaders from those claiming to support the former Anambra governor.
Speaking during an interview on Arise TV’s Prime Time Show, Dickson expressed frustration over a growing narrative among some members of the Obedient movement that the NDC should be grateful for Obi’s presence on its platform.
“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,” he said.
Dickson argued that the NDC was not a political vehicle built around one personality. According to him, the party had already become a rallying point for influential politicians across the country before Obi and his running mate came on board.
He noted that former governors and other political heavyweights had joined the party months earlier, insisting that the platform had its own history, structures and credibility.
Rejecting claims that Obi’s supporters were doing the NDC a favour, the senator said it was, in fact, the party that had extended goodwill by offering its presidential ticket to Obi and his running mate without demanding payment.
“There is no one doing NDC a favor,” Dickson said. “Rather, the NDC and my colleagues are doing people a favor by granting our platform to them.”
He also had strong words for those who believe building a political party is an easy undertaking.
“If it’s easy for people to form a party, go and form yours,” he said, challenging critics to experience firsthand the sacrifices involved in creating and sustaining a national political platform.
Dickson urged Obi’s supporters, political commentators and members of the public to show greater respect for the NDC and those who built it from the ground up. He warned against portraying the party as dependent on any single individual for relevance or survival.
For the senator, political alliances can only endure when they are built on mutual respect. Admiration for a candidate, he suggested, should not come at the expense of the platform carrying that candidate into the contest.
