…Says Support Groups Must Not Act as Party
The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has recently rejected the Presidential Campaign Council constituted by the Obi-Kwankwaso (OK) Movement, saying support groups must operate in support of the political party rather than assume its functions.
Obi made the position known on Thursday during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time, against the backdrop of a dispute between the NDC leadership and the OK Movement over the 59-member campaign council unveiled by the group.
The former Anambra State governor said the NDC was the political party through which he and his supporters would pursue the 2027 presidential election, while the OK Movement, Obidient groups, and Kwankwasiyya should remain support organizations.
“First, NDC is the political party we all belong to. And I agree entirely with the position of the leader (Seriake Dickson). OK Movement, Obidient group, Kwankwasiyya, and other supporting groups. They must play their role as supporting groups, supporting the party. They should not play the role of the party. We’ve found a situation where one of the supporting groups is using the nomenclature used by the Presidential Campaign Council; it shouldn’t be. No,” Obi said.
The controversy began on September 17 when the OK Movement announced a 59-member Presidential Campaign Council, comprising zonal and state coordinators as well as directors responsible for mobilization, women’s affairs, strategy, security, legal affairs, and other areas.
The movement appointed its Director-General, John Ughulu, as the council’s Director-General, while its National Secretary, Saadatu Sani, was named secretary. The structure also included coordinators for the six geopolitical zones, the Federal Capital Territory and the states.
However, the NDC swiftly disowned the structure.
In a statement issued by its National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas, the party said the campaign council did not emanate from the NDC and urged the public and media to disregard it. The party also said no individual, candidate, or support group was authorized to constitute or announce a campaign council or structure in its name without the approval of its National Working Committee.
Asked whether the OK Movement established the campaign council with his knowledge or approval, Obi said it did not.
“Not at all. And I say it here, it is wrong. You are supporting—OK Movement of Obi and Kwankwaso. So whatever you do must have express approval of both of us,” he said.
Obi’s position aligns with that of NDC National Leader and former Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, who had criticised the creation of a campaign council by a support group.
Dickson, speaking after a meeting of NDC stakeholders in Abuja, described the move as “nonsensical” and argued that support groups should complement the party rather than establish structures that perform the functions of its official campaign machinery.
OK Movement insists on independence
The OK Movement, however, has rejected the NDC’s position and insisted that it is an independent political organization with its own leadership, structures, and internal processes.
In a statement by Sani, the movement said it did not require the personal validation or approval of any individual within the NDC to carry out its organisational functions.
“The OK Movement will not compromise its standards. The OK Movement will not surrender its independence. The OK Movement will not be intimidated,” the group said.
Its Director-General, Ughulu, also maintained that the movement was not seeking to usurp the NDC’s authority.
“Let us also make one important distinction absolutely clear. The OK Movement does not claim supremacy over the NDC, nor does it seek to usurp the constitutional powers of the party,” he said.
“We respect the NDC and recognise the constitutional authority of the party over its own internal affairs. Equally, the NDC and every other organization must recognize the independent identity, structure, and legitimate interests of the OK Movement.
“However, we will resist, through lawful and democratic means, any attempt by any individual or group to disenfranchise members of the movement, appropriate its structures, or unilaterally redefine its identity. We did not build the OK Movement overnight.
“Therefore, no individual can simply declare that the structure dissolved, transferred, or absorbed without the authority of the Movement’s legitimate organs. We will not be intimidated, surrender our identity or abandon the structures we have built.”
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