The Obi-Kwankwaso Movement has faulted the Nigeria Democratic Congress over the unveiling of its National Campaign Council, questioning the party’s preparedness for the 2027 general elections and boasting that it has a stronger grassroots structure.
The Director-General of the OK Movement, John Ughulu, said the NDC had waited too long to organise its campaign machinery, warning that political ambition without effective grassroots mobilisation and coordination would not guarantee electoral victory.
He stated this on Monday in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja, a day after the NDC announced the composition of its campaign council ahead of its inauguration in the Federal Capital Territory.
The politician argued that the movement had done the necessary groundwork while others were only beginning to organise, predicting that some of those appointed to the council might eventually seek its support and mobilisation network.
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!”
Ughulu 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 an escalating disagreement between the NDC and the OK Movement over the latter’s organisational independence and its place in the campaign for the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
The NDC on Sunday named its National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, as chairman of its National Campaign Council, with Obi appointed co-chairman.
The party’s 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, 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 will serve as Director-General.
However, Ughulu and the OK Movement’s state, local government and ward coordinators were not included in the appointments.
The omission comes against the backdrop of a dispute over the movement’s decision to establish its own presidential campaign council, which Dickson 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.
Speaking at the unveiling of Lawal in Abuja last month, Dickson maintained that the NDC would work with support groups but expected them to function within their proper roles.
Ughulu, however, insisted that the OK Movement is an independent political organisation, not merely a conventional support group, and would not surrender its national, state, local government and ward structures to the NDC or any other organisation.
In his latest statement, the OK Movement director-general argued that elections were won through sustained grassroots mobilisation, strategic planning and effective coordination rather than prominent names 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 politician maintained that the movement had recognised the importance of grassroots organisation long before the electioneering season and was better prepared to mobilise voters.
“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!” Ughulu added.
He also warned that political leaders who had criticised the movement could eventually need its network and organisational capacity as the elections approached.
“But the question is: Will they respect the structure they are now coming to depend on?” he asked.
The NDC is scheduled to inaugurate its National Campaign Council and commission its newly acquired national secretariat in Abuja on Monday.
The party will also 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.
The programme is expected to be followed by a dinner.
Ughulu maintained that the OK Movement would not be reduced to a ceremonial support group, insisting 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, “The OK Movement is ready. The question is: are they? Nigeria will be OK.”