Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso
The Obi-Kwankwaso Movement has criticised the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) over the composition of its National Campaign Council, questioning the party’s preparedness for the 2027 general elections.
John Ughulu, Director-General of the OK Movement, said the NDC had delayed in establishing its campaign structure, arguing that political ambition without effective grassroots mobilisation and coordination would not guarantee electoral success.
Ughulu made the comments on Monday in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja, a day after the NDC announced the composition of its campaign council ahead of its inauguration in the Federal Capital Territory.
He claimed that the OK Movement had established its grassroots structures ahead of the election and suggested that some members of the NDC campaign council could eventually seek the movement’s support and mobilisation network.
“The funny part of this list is that 90 per cent of the people on it will still come knocking on the doors of the OK Movement to beg for the very structure they have failed to build themselves!” Ughulu said.
He added, “With less than three months to the general elections, they are only just announcing their Presidential Campaign Council. What exactly have they been doing all this time? Where is the structure? Where is the strategy? Where is the machinery required to prosecute a serious national election?”
The criticism comes amid a disagreement between the NDC and the OK Movement over the latter’s organisational status and its role in the campaign for the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
The NDC on Sunday announced its National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, as chairman of its National Campaign Council, with Obi named co-chairman.
The party’s National Chairman, Senator Cleopas Moses Zuwoghe, was named vice-chairman, while Kwankwaso was appointed co-vice-chairman.
Other members of the council include former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, as chairman of the National Advisory Council; former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege; former presidential candidate, Pat Utomi; and former National Secretary of the Congress for Progressive Change, Buba Galadima.
The NDC National Secretary, Ikenna Enekweizu, was appointed secretary of the council, while Ibrahim Abdulkarim was named Director-General.
Ughulu and the OK Movement’s state, local government and ward coordinators were not included in the appointments.
The development follows a disagreement over the movement’s decision to establish its own presidential campaign council, which Dickson had described as “unheard of” and “nonsensical”.
Dickson, a former Bayelsa State governor, had said support groups should complement political parties rather than compete with them or establish parallel structures.
Speaking at the unveiling of Lawal in Abuja last month, Dickson said the NDC would work with support groups but expected them to operate within their defined roles.
Ughulu, however, maintained that the OK Movement was an independent political organisation rather than a conventional support group and would not surrender its national, state, local government and ward structures to the NDC or any other organisation.
In his latest statement, he argued that elections were won through sustained grassroots mobilisation, strategic planning and coordination rather than the prominence of individuals appointed to campaign councils.
“Elections are not won by titles, press releases, political noise, or the number of big names on a campaign council. Elections are won through grassroots mobilisation, effective coordination, strategic planning, committed people, and a well-established structure that reaches every polling unit,” he said.
Ughulu said the movement had prioritised grassroots organisation from the outset of its political activities.
“We did not wait for the election to approach before recognising the importance of grassroots organisation. We understood from the beginning that a presidential ambition without a functional grassroots structure is nothing more than a political wish!” he said.
He also suggested that political leaders who had criticised the movement could eventually seek its organisational support as the election approached.
“But the question is: Will they respect the structure they are now coming to depend on?” he asked.
The NDC is scheduled to inaugurate its National Campaign Council and commission its newly acquired national secretariat in Abuja on Monday.
The party is also expected to present Certificates of Return to its candidates for the presidential, governorship, National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly elections as part of activities marking its third National Executive Committee meeting.
A dinner is expected to follow the programme.
Ughulu said the OK Movement would maintain its independent organisational structure and role in the Obi-Kwankwaso political project.
“Leadership is not about who makes the loudest noise. Leadership is about who prepares, organises, builds, and delivers when it matters most,” he said.
He added, “The OK Movement is ready. The question is: are they? Nigeria will be OK.”
