Details Emerge as Obi, Dickson Meet Lagos NDC Candidate Ahead of 2027

Funso Doherty has met with Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi and the party’s National Leader, Seriake Dickson, as preparations for the 2027 general elections gather pace in Lagos State.

The meeting brought together key NDC figures from Lagos, including the party’s governorship candidate, its South-West zonal leadership, state chairman, other candidates and senior stakeholders.

Dickson disclosed the meeting in a statement shared on his verified X account on Friday.

He said the engagement was aimed at assessing the party’s position in Lagos and reviewing its readiness for the political activities ahead.

The meeting is coming at a time when the NDC is strengthening its structures across the country and preparing for the formal take-off of its 2027 campaign.

According to Dickson, the Lagos delegation used the meeting to brief the national leadership on developments within the state and the progress being made towards the election.

He also said the discussions provided an opportunity to consider the party’s preparations and the need for its different groups to work together.

The former Bayelsa State governor expressed satisfaction with the commitment shown by members of the Lagos chapter.

He said the party’s candidates and stakeholders must remain focused on the larger objective rather than allow individual interests to create divisions.

Obi, who is expected to lead the NDC into the 2027 presidential election, later joined the meeting with the Lagos team.

Dickson said both leaders encouraged the party members to maintain unity and support one another as political activities intensify.

He stressed that the NDC would need a coordinated structure in Lagos if it hopes to make an impact in the state during the 2027 elections.

The party’s Lagos governorship candidate, Funso Doherty, has emerged as one of its major political figures in the state ahead of the election.

His emergence followed his movement into the NDC and subsequent acceptance of the party’s nomination to contest the governorship seat.

Doherty had previously contested the Lagos governorship election and has continued to campaign for changes in the way the state is governed.

Dickson said the Lagos chapter would continue its consultations with party members and other interest groups.

He explained that the process would include reconciliation and further engagement with individuals and groups within the party.

The objective, he said, is to address areas of disagreement before the campaign period becomes more intense.

He said the process would help the party enter the election season with a stronger and more united structure.

In his words:

“This evening, I met with our party’s gubernatorial candidate in Lagos State, Mr Funso Doherty, the Zonal Vice Chairman, South West, the Lagos State Chairman of our party, as well as other senior party officials, candidates and stakeholders from the state.

“It was also my pleasure to receive our party’s presidential candidate, His Excellency Peter Obi, who later joined the meeting. We were therefore briefed together and participated in discussions on the state of our preparedness in Lagos State.

“We must continue to work together as one family, putting the interests of the party and, ultimately, the Nigerian people above individual interests,” he tweeted.

In a related development, Politics Nigeria recalls on June that Dickson held a closed-door meeting with Peter Obi and other senior NDC leaders in Abuja.

The meeting, which lasted about three hours, was attended by Obi, Professor Pat Utomi and Senator Victor Umeh, among others.

Dickson said the leadership remained united around the broader objective of winning the 2027 elections and pursuing what the party describes as the “New Nigerian project.”

He said after the meeting that the disagreements should not distract members from the party’s larger political objective.

“In the course of that meeting, we reviewed the activities of our party and discussed a few recent issues that have been a source of concern to all sides, and we amicably resolved all the issues,” Dickson said.

He also appealed to members to stop public disagreements and concentrate on building the party ahead of the election.

“Nigerians are looking up to us to provide credible alternatives to the current governance challenges,” he said.

“I want to use this opportunity again to call on all members of our party to stop the bickering and name-calling and focus on the bigger picture.”