The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has dissociated itself from the 59-member Presidential Campaign Council announced by the Obi-Kwankwaso (OK) Movement ahead of the 2027 general elections, declaring the structure unauthorised.
The party’s National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas, in a statement issued on Saturday, said the campaign council did not emanate from the NDC and urged members of the public and the media to disregard the announcement.
The development followed the unveiling on Thursday of the 59-member council by the OK Movement, a support group associated with the joint presidential ticket of NDC candidate Peter Obi and his running mate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
The structure includes zonal and state coordinators, as well as directors responsible for mobilisation, women’s affairs, strategy and planning, security, legal affairs, administration and other areas. The movement’s Director-General, John Ughulu, was named Director-General of the campaign council, while its National Secretary, Saadatu Sani, was also listed in the leadership.
However, Cleopas insisted that only the leadership of the NDC has the authority to constitute and announce its Presidential Campaign Council.
According to him, candidates contesting elections on the party’s platform are subject to the authority and discipline of the NDC and cannot operate as independent candidates.
He warned that no individual, candidate or support group was authorised to establish or publish a campaign council, structure or organ in the name of the party without prior approval from the National Working Committee (NWC).
The NDC chairman acknowledged the contributions of support groups to the party’s political activities and encouraged them to continue supporting its objectives.
He nevertheless stressed that such groups must not present themselves as alternative structures or parallel organs of the party.
Cleopas also urged members and support groups with grievances to use the party’s internal mechanisms for resolving disputes rather than resorting to public attacks.
The chairman said the party remained committed to working with support groups while maintaining a clear distinction between their activities and the formal structures of the NDC.
Cleopas further disclosed that Ughulu had been referred to the appropriate disciplinary organ of the party over what he described as his “excesses” during the party’s primary election in Lagos State and repeated disregard for party authority.
He said the disciplinary process would be conducted in accordance with the provisions of the party’s constitution.
The action comes shortly after the OK Movement unveiled its campaign council, which was presented as a nationwide mobilisation structure covering the six geopolitical zones, the Federal Capital Territory and the 36 states.
The movement had said the council was intended to take its message and political programme to Nigerians across the country as preparations for the 2027 elections gather momentum.
The NDC, however, maintains that the movement’s structure does not constitute the party’s official Presidential Campaign Council.
Cleopas said the party remained focused on an issue-based campaign and its stated commitment to delivering what it described as a “New Nigeria that is Possible”.
The disagreement places a clear distinction between the mobilisation activities of the OK Movement and the formal campaign machinery of the NDC, with the party leadership asserting that only its authorised organs can establish structures in its name.
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