Share!
The Obi-Kwankwaso (OK) Movement has criticised the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) over its newly unveiled National Campaign Council, questioning the party’s preparedness for the 2027 general elections and claiming that it has a stronger grassroots mobilisation structure.
The movement’s Director-General, John Ughulu, made the remarks on Monday in a statement issued in Abuja, a day after the NDC announced the composition of its campaign council ahead of its inauguration.
Ughulu accused the party of delaying the organisation of its campaign machinery, arguing that political ambition alone would not guarantee electoral success without effective grassroots mobilisation, strategic planning and coordination.
He claimed that the OK Movement had already established the necessary structures, while other political actors were only beginning to organise their campaigns.
“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!” he said.
Questioning the timing of the announcement, Ughulu said the party should have established its campaign machinery earlier to prepare for the nationwide election.
“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?” he asked.
The criticism comes amid an ongoing disagreement between the NDC leadership and the OK Movement over the movement’s organisational independence and its role in the campaign for the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
NDC Unveils Campaign Council
The NDC on Sunday announced its National Campaign Council, naming its National Leader, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, as chairman and Obi as co-chairman.
The party’s National Chairman, Senator Cleopas Moses Zuwoghe, was appointed vice-chairman, while Kwankwaso was named co-vice-chairman.
Other appointees 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 council secretary, while Ibrahim Abdulkarim was named Director-General.
However, Ughulu and the OK Movement’s state, local government and ward coordinators were not included in the appointments.
The omission has further heightened tensions over the movement’s decision to establish its own presidential campaign council, which Dickson previously described as “unheard of” and “nonsensical”.
The former Bayelsa State governor had argued that support groups should complement political parties rather than compete with them or operate parallel structures.
OK Movement Insists on Independence
Ughulu, however, maintained that the OK Movement was an independent political organisation rather than a conventional support group, insisting that it would not surrender its national, state, local government and ward structures to the NDC or any other organisation.
He argued that electoral victories depended on sustained grassroots mobilisation, strategic planning and effective coordination rather than the prominent names featured on 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.
The movement’s director-general added that the group had recognised the importance of grassroots organisation long before the electioneering season.
“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 stated.
Ughulu also questioned whether political leaders who had criticised the movement would eventually depend on its organisational network as the elections approached.
“But the question is: Will they respect the structure they are now coming to depend on?” he asked.
NDC Set to Inaugurate Campaign Council
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.
Despite the disagreement, Ughulu insisted that the OK Movement would not be reduced to a ceremonial support group, maintaining that its strength lay in its organisational capacity and commitment to 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 by declaring the movement’s readiness for the electioneering season, adding: “The OK Movement is ready. The question is: are they? Nigeria will be OK.”
