By Ade Oyeyemi
The Obi-Kwankwaso Movement, popularly known as the OK Movement, has denied receiving financial support from the Nigeria Democratic Congress or its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to run its organisational activities.
The group’s Director-General, John Ughulu, made the clarification in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday amid an escalating disagreement between the movement and the NDC over campaign structures ahead of the 2027 elections.
Ughulu maintained that the movement operates independently and has its own leadership, structures and funding arrangements, despite its support for the NDC presidential ticket of Obi and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
“The mechanism through which the OK Movement operates is founded upon its established principles and values,” Ughulu said.
He added that the organisation had neither sought nor required financial assistance from Obi or the NDC to establish or maintain its structures.
The clarification followed the controversy surrounding a 59-member Presidential Campaign Council unveiled by the OK Movement to mobilise support for the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket.
The NDC has distanced itself from the council, maintaining that campaign structures established in the party’s name must receive approval from its National Working Committee.
However, Ughulu insisted that the movement’s organisational independence remained intact and that its leadership did not require approval from the NDC to manage its internal affairs.
He argued that the movement did not claim superiority over the political party, stressing that both organisations had distinct structures and responsibilities.
According to him, the NDC has the right to establish and administer its own campaign machinery, just as the OK Movement has the right to manage its independent organisational structure within the law.
“There is no provision of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, nor any provision of the NDC Party Constitution brought to our attention, that automatically vests exclusive authority in a political party or its candidate to determine the internal organisational structure of an independent political organisation,” he said.
The development came as the NDC also announced that registration for support groups ahead of the 2027 elections would be free and handled by its Directorate of Support Groups at the national headquarters in Abuja. The party warned state officials against collecting fees from groups seeking registration.
Ughulu said the OK Movement would continue to mobilise support for Obi and Kwankwaso but would not surrender or dissolve its existing national, state, local government and ward structures.
“Our position is not about confrontation. It is about clarity, institutional respect and the protection of organisational independence,” he stated.
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He added that the movement remained willing to work with the NDC but would not abandon its organisational identity or principles to satisfy the preferences of any individual or group.
The dispute adds to the growing debate within the Obi-Kwankwaso camp over the relationship between the NDC as a political party and independent groups supporting its presidential ticket ahead of the 2027 general elections.
