The Obi-Kwankwaso Movement, popularly known as the OK Movement, has rejected any attempt by the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) to assume control of its structures ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The movement said it would retain its independent identity and would not allow its national, state, local government or ward structures to be absorbed into the NDC.
Director-General of the OK Movement, John Ughulu, stated this while reacting to comments by the NDC National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, regarding the role of political support groups in the party’s preparations for the 2027 elections.
Dickson had criticised the movement’s decision to establish a 59-member Presidential Campaign Council, arguing that support groups should complement political parties rather than create structures that could compete with the official machinery of a party.
Speaking on Tuesday while receiving former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, into the NDC, the former Bayelsa State governor said support groups should focus on mobilisation and support for candidates.
According to Dickson, support groups should not compete with the political party sponsoring candidates or seek supremacy within the party’s organisational structure.
He also questioned the decision by the OK Movement to establish its own presidential campaign council, describing the move as unacceptable. However, Ughulu disagreed with the characterisation of the OK Movement as an ordinary support group.
He said the movement was independently established and operated its own leadership, administrative and mobilisation structures.
According to him, the OK Movement brings together individuals from different political backgrounds united by their support for Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso, who, according to the information provided, are the NDC’s presidential candidate and running mate for the 2027 election.
Ughulu said the movement was not created as an appendage of the NDC or any other political organisation.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the OK Movement is not a support group created as an appendage of any political party or another movement. It is independently organised, managed and structured through its own established movement mechanisms.”
He also rejected Dickson’s description of the movement’s campaign council as “nonsensical”, arguing that the political landscape had evolved beyond what he described as the conventional political system.
“The OK Movement comprises individuals and members from different political parties who share a common commitment to the ideals, values and political aspirations represented by the presidential candidate, Peter Obi and his running mate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso,” he said.
Ughulu stressed that the movement’s cooperation with the NDC did not amount to surrendering its organisational identity.
“The OK Movement remains an independent organisation. Its existence and internal administration are not subject to the internal management of the NDC.
“The OK Movement will not be collapsed, merged or subsumed into the NDC or any other organisation. Cooperation and political alignment do not extinguish the independent identity of the Movement,” he said.
He further insisted that the movement would retain control of its structures across the country.
“Our organisational structure remains the property and responsibility of the OK Movement. We will not surrender our established national, state, local government and ward structures to any political party or external support group for management,” he added.
The dispute followed the unveiling of a 59-member Presidential Campaign Council by the OK Movement on September 17 as part of its mobilisation efforts for Obi and Kwankwaso ahead of the 2027 election.
The NDC subsequently distanced itself from the council.
The party’s National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas, said the structure was not authorised by the party’s National Working Committee, warning that no individual, candidate or support group could establish a campaign structure in the name of the NDC without approval from its leadership.
Cleopas also referred Ughulu to the appropriate disciplinary organ of the party over what the NDC described as his conduct during the Lagos State primary and alleged disregard for party authority.
The development triggered a further response from the OK Movement. Its National Secretary, Saadatu Sani, demanded an apology from the NDC chairman and reiterated that the movement was not an appendage of the party.
Sani said the movement would support NDC candidates while retaining its independent structure and decision-making processes. She also claimed that the movement had established a nationwide grassroots network with an internal database containing about 2.5 million registered members and coordinators.
The latest exchange highlights an emerging disagreement over the relationship between the NDC and the independent political movement ahead of the 2027 general elections, particularly over the extent to which support organisations should maintain separate structures while backing candidates fielded by a political party.
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