The Obi-Kwankwaso Movement has challenged the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) over its preparations for the 2027 general elections, accusing the party of being slow to establish its campaign structure while claiming that the movement has built a grassroots network ahead of the polls.
John Ughulu, Director-General of the OK Movement, made the criticism in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday, a day after the NDC announced members of its National Campaign Council ahead of its planned inauguration.
Ughulu questioned why the party had waited until this stage to unveil its campaign machinery, arguing that electoral success required sustained grassroots mobilisation, strategic planning and effective coordination rather than the appointment of prominent political figures.
He said, “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!”
The movement’s director-general also challenged the timing of the announcement, saying, “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 disagreement reflects an ongoing dispute between the NDC and the OK Movement over the movement’s organisational independence and its role in the campaign for the presidential ticket of Peter Obi and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
In its announcement on Sunday, the NDC named its National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, as chairman of the National Campaign Council, while Obi was appointed co-chairman. The party’s National Chairman, Senator Cleopas Moses Zuwoghe, was named vice-chairman, with Kwankwaso appointed co-vice-chairman.
Other members of the campaign structure include former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, who was named 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’s National Secretary, Ikenna Enekweizu, was appointed secretary of the campaign 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. Their exclusion has further highlighted the disagreement over whether the movement should operate as an independent political organisation or within the NDC’s campaign structure.
Dickson had previously criticised the movement’s decision to establish a separate presidential campaign council, describing the move as “unheard of” and “nonsensical”. The former Bayelsa governor maintained that support groups should complement political parties rather than establish parallel structures that could compete with the party’s machinery.
However, Ughulu insisted that the OK Movement was an independent political organisation with its own national and grassroots structures, which it would not surrender to the NDC or any other organisation.
He maintained that the movement’s approach to electioneering focused on building structures capable of reaching voters at the polling-unit level.
“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 added that the movement had prioritised grassroots organisation long before the election season, arguing that political ambitions needed a functional mobilisation network to translate into electoral support.
“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 questioned whether political leaders who had criticised the movement would later seek its support and organisational capacity as preparations for the elections intensified.
“But the question is: Will they respect the structure they are now coming to depend on?” he asked.
The NDC was scheduled to inaugurate its National Campaign Council and commission its newly acquired national secretariat in Abuja on Monday. The programme was also expected to include the presentation of Certificates of Return to the party’s candidates for presidential, governorship, National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly elections, alongside its third National Executive Committee meeting and a dinner.
Despite the disagreement, Ughulu maintained that the OK Movement would continue to pursue its own organisational agenda in support of 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 concluded, “The OK Movement is ready. The question is: are they? Nigeria will be OK.”
