Anxiety mounts as NDC, OK Movement face test of unity ahead of campaign council inauguration

Anxiety is mounting within the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) ahead of the inauguration of its National Campaign Council (NCC) for the 2027 general elections today, amid lingering disagreements over the relationship between the party and the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement, popularly known as the OK Movement.

The inauguration is expected to test the ability of the party and the political movements backing its presidential and vice-presidential candidates, Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, to reconcile their differences and present a united front ahead of what promises to be a keenly contested election.

The tension follows an earlier disagreement over the inauguration of a presidential campaign council by the OK Movement, a development that reportedly did not sit well with the NDC leadership, which maintains that support groups should complement the party’s structures rather than assume responsibilities constitutionally reserved for the political party.

The disagreement subsequently triggered a strong response from the OK Movement, which rejected any attempt to place its organisational structure under the control of the NDC, insisting that its independence did not undermine its commitment to the party’s candidates.

With the NDC now preparing to inaugurate its own National Campaign Council, attention has shifted to how both sides will manage the competing concerns of party authority, organisational independence and the need for effective electoral mobilisation.

Responding to enquiries ahead of today’s inauguration, Mr Onyeka Dike, Director of Media and Communications Directorate of the Obidient Movement, said discussions were ongoing between the movement and the party.

“We will respond at the appropriate time. We are currently working with the NDC to ensure a comprehensive NCC that is capable of ensuring H.E. Mr. Peter Obi wins the 2027 general elections,” Dike said.

His response suggests that efforts are underway to achieve an arrangement acceptable to the party and the wider mobilisation network supporting Obi’s presidential ambition, although the precise outcome of the discussions remains unclear.

The NDC’s position was previously articulated by its National Leader, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, who warned support groups against competing with the party for political space or attempting to operate parallel structures that could undermine its authority.

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Speaking while receiving former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, into the party, Dickson said support groups were essential to grassroots mobilisation but should not perform the functions of a political party.

Dickson maintained that the NDC had made adequate provisions for support organisations, including the Obidient and Kwankwasiyya movements, to contribute to the party’s electoral objectives.

He urged them to focus on mobilising voters, promoting the candidates and strengthening grassroots support rather than challenging the authority of the party’s formal structures.

The National Chairman of the NDC, Senator Moses Cleopas, subsequently reinforced the position, explaining that the party had established a Directorate of Mobilisation under the Office of the National Organising Secretary to register, coordinate and work with support groups nationwide.

Cleopas said the arrangement was intended to provide a formal channel for collaboration while preventing unnecessary friction between the party and the organisations supporting its candidates.

He also rejected the idea of support groups independently constituting presidential campaign councils, insisting that such structures remained the responsibility of the sponsoring political party.

However, the OK Movement has maintained that cooperation with the NDC should not be interpreted as organisational subordination.

Its National Director-General, Hon. John Ozyl Ughulu, described the movement as an independent political organisation with structures at the national, state, local government and ward levels.

Ughulu argued that the movement’s decision to support Obi and Kwankwaso did not extinguish its independent identity or prevent it from establishing its own campaign and mobilisation structures.

He said the OK Movement would not be merged with, absorbed into or subsumed under the NDC, while insisting that it had no intention of usurping the party’s constitutional powers.

The disagreement has raised questions about how the party will accommodate the movement’s organisational interests while maintaining the central authority required to coordinate a national presidential campaign.

The composition of the National Campaign Council, the roles assigned to representatives of the different support organisations and the extent of their participation in campaign decision-making are therefore likely to attract attention as the inauguration approaches.

For the NDC, the challenge is to establish a campaign structure capable of coordinating the party’s national machinery with the extensive grassroots networks associated with Obi and Kwankwaso.

For the OK Movement and other support organisations, the immediate concern is whether their contributions will be recognised within the emerging campaign framework without compromising their organisational independence.

The outcome could have implications for the cohesion of the coalition supporting the NDC’s 2027 presidential ticket, particularly as political parties begin consolidating their structures and strategies ahead of the general elections.

Although the disagreements have exposed differences over the boundaries between party leadership and support-group autonomy, both sides have expressed commitment to supporting the NDC candidates.

Whether that shared objective will be sufficient to resolve their differences remains a key question ahead of Monday’s inauguration.

The event is consequently emerging as more than a routine party activity. It represents an early test of the NDC’s ability to manage competing interests within its political base and translate the combined strength of its party structures and support movements into a coordinated campaign for 2027.