By Ade Oyeyemi
The disagreement between the Nigeria Democratic Congress and the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement, popularly known as the OK Movement, has deepened over the group’s campaign structure ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Director-General of the movement, John Ughulu, said on Wednesday that the organisation would retain its independent structures at the national, state, local government and ward levels despite its political alignment with the NDC.
Ughulu was reacting to comments by the NDC National Leader, Seriake Dickson, who said support groups should complement political parties rather than operate as parallel structures.
Dickson had criticised the decision by the OK Movement to establish a 59-member Presidential Campaign Council, describing the move as “unheard of” and “nonsensical.” He argued that support groups should focus on grassroots mobilisation and should not assume functions belonging to the party’s campaign machinery.
However, Ughulu said the OK Movement should not be treated as an ordinary support group attached to the NDC.
He argued that the movement was independently organised and comprised people from different political parties who support the joint presidential ticket of Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the OK Movement is not a support group created as an appendage of any political party or another movement. It is independently organised, managed and structured through its own established movement mechanisms,” Ughulu said.
He also rejected Dickson’s description of the movement’s campaign council as “nonsensical,” arguing that the political landscape had evolved beyond what he described as conventional party structures.
Ughulu said the movement’s members shared common political objectives around Obi and Kwankwaso, irrespective of their membership of different political parties.
“The OK Movement comprises individuals and members from different political parties who share a common commitment to the ideals, values and political aspirations represented by the presidential candidate, Peter Obi and his running mate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso,” he stated.
He maintained that the movement’s cooperation with the NDC did not amount to surrendering its organisational identity or internal administration to the party.
“The OK Movement will not be collapsed, merged or subsumed into the NDC or any other organisation. Cooperation and political alignment do not extinguish the independent identity of the movement,” Ughulu said.
He added that the movement would retain its existing national, state, local government and ward structures, insisting that they would remain under its own management.
The OK Movement also argued that it was entitled to establish campaign and mobilisation structures to support the NDC presidential ticket, saying it was not aware of any provision expressly prohibiting such an arrangement.
Ughulu, however, said the movement was not seeking to take over the functions of the NDC or challenge the party’s authority over its internal affairs.
“The OK Movement does not claim supremacy over the NDC, nor does it seek to usurp the constitutional powers of the party,” he said.
He warned that the movement would resist any attempt to appropriate or dismantle its structures, adding that any such dispute would be addressed through what he described as lawful and democratic means.
The latest disagreement followed the NDC’s decision to dissociate itself from the 59-member Presidential Campaign Council unveiled by the OK Movement on September 17 to coordinate mobilisation for Obi and Kwankwaso. The party said the council was not authorised by its leadership and should be disregarded.
The NDC National Chairman, Moses Cleopas, had also stated that no individual, candidate or support group was authorised to constitute or announce a campaign structure in the party’s name without approval from its National Working Committee.
The OK Movement subsequently rejected the position and demanded an apology from Cleopas, maintaining that it had its own leadership, structure and internal processes.
The latest exchange between Dickson and Ughulu has now widened the disagreement over how the movement should operate in relation to the NDC as the parties and political groups prepare for the 2027 elections.
