NDC Cracks Down on Support Group Registration Fee Demands

The Nigeria Democratic Congress has moved to stop what it says is unlawful fee collection by state-level officials from groups seeking to affiliate with the party. The party's national leadership announced this week that support group registration carries no cost and cautioned state chairmen against demanding payment from applicants.

The directive came after party leadership became aware that some state chairmen were collecting fees from support groups during the registration process. In a statement released Friday by National Publicity Secretary Osa Director, the NDC made clear that no charges apply to registration and that state officials engaging in such collection would face party discipline.

The party centralised the registration function under its Directorate of Support Groups, based at national headquarters in Abuja. All registration inquiries and applications are to be directed to this unit, rather than processed at the state level, according to the announcement.

This structure is intended to prevent the kind of fee demands that prompted the warning. The statement represents an effort by the NDC national office to enforce transparency in how support groups formalise ties with the party.

By restricting registration authority to the national headquarters and explicitly prohibiting state officials from charging fees, the leadership aims to standardise the process across all chapters.