The Obi-Kwankwaso Movement on Monday faulted the Nigeria Democratic Congress over the composition of its National Campaign Council, questioning the party’s preparedness for the 2027 general elections.
John Ughulu, director-general of the OK Movement, said the NDC had delayed organising its campaign machinery and warned that political ambition without effective grassroots mobilisation would not secure victory.
In a statement issued in Abuja a day after the NDC announced its campaign council, Ughulu argued that the movement had already built a stronger structure while others were only beginning to organise.
“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.
He added: “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 criticism comes amid growing tension between the NDC and the OK Movement over the latter’s organisational independence in the campaign for presidential candidate Peter Obi and running mate Rabiu Kwankwaso.
The NDC on Sunday named its National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, as chairman of the National Campaign Council, with Obi as co-chairman. Party National Chairman Senator Cleopas Moses Zuwoghe was named vice-chairman, while Kwankwaso will serve as 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 Ovie Omo-Agege, former presidential candidate Pat Utomi, and former CPC National Secretary Buba Galadima. NDC National Secretary Ikenna Enekweizu was appointed council secretary, with Ibrahim Abdulkarim as director-general.
Ughulu and the OK Movement’s state, local government and ward coordinators were not included.
The omission follows a dispute after the movement established its own presidential campaign council, which Dickson described as “unheard of” and “nonsensical”. The former Bayelsa governor has maintained that support groups should complement parties rather than operate parallel structures.
Ughulu insisted the OK Movement is an independent political organisation and will not surrender its national, state, local government and ward structures.
“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.
“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 added.
The NDC is scheduled to inaugurate its National Campaign Council and commission its national secretariat in Abuja on Monday. The party will also present certificates of return to its candidates.
Ughulu concluded: “Leadership is not about who makes the loudest noise. Leadership is about who prepares, organises, builds, and delivers when it matters most. The OK Movement is ready. The question is: are they? Nigeria will be OK.”
