The Obi-Kwankwaso Movement, popularly known as the OK Movement, has rejected calls for it to operate under the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), insisting that its organisational structures will remain independent ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The movement’s Director-General, John Ughulu, made the position known in response to comments by the NDC National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, concerning the role of support groups in the party’s preparations for the 2027 elections.

Dickson had criticised the decision by the OK Movement to establish a 59-member Presidential Campaign Council, arguing that support organisations should complement political parties rather than create structures that could operate alongside or compete with the parties’ official machinery.

The disagreement followed the OK Movement’s announcement of its 59-member campaign council on September 17. The council was established to coordinate mobilisation and campaign activities in support of Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso, the NDC’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates.

The NDC subsequently distanced itself from the council, stating that the structure was not authorised by the party. The party also maintained that it would constitute its own official Presidential Campaign Council.

Dickson Questions OK Movement’s Campaign Structure

Dickson had argued that support groups have a role to play in mobilising voters and supporting candidates but should not assume responsibilities belonging to a political party.

Speaking in Abuja while receiving former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, into the NDC, the former Bayelsa State governor said support organisations should work alongside the political party rather than compete with it.

“Support groups don’t compete with the political party that is sponsoring candidates. Support groups don’t compete for supremacy and space,” he said.

Dickson also explained that support groups should remain focused on grassroots mobilisation instead of establishing structures that could rival the party.

“Support groups are what they are support groups. They don’t play the role of political party. They don’t sponsor candidates.

“They provide grassroots support and mobilisation. They don’t convert themselves to become critics of the political party sponsored. They don’t attack the political party sponsored.”

He also took issue with the decision by the OK Movement to establish its own presidential campaign council, describing the development as unusual.

“None of them will dare say they are setting up a presidential campaign council. It’s unheard of. Nonsensical. And those who have a duty to educate and call people to order should do so,” Dickson said.

OK Movement Defends Its Independence

Responding to Dickson, Ughulu said there was an important distinction between the OK Movement and conventional support groups.

He argued that the organisation was independently established, managed and structured and should therefore not be treated simply as an appendage of the NDC.

“I strongly agree with the position expressed by Senator Seriake Dickson. However, there appears to be a missing link in the argument currently being advanced.

“If the Obidient Movement is regarded as a support movement, and if the Obidients and Kwankwasiyya have equally been described by Idris Zekeri, while claiming to speak on behalf of Peter Obi, as a support movement, then it becomes necessary to properly define the identity and status of the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement, popularly known as the OK Movement.”

Ughulu continued:

“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.”

The OK Movement said its membership cuts across different political parties and political backgrounds, with members united by their support for Obi and Kwankwaso.

Ughulu Rejects ‘Nonsensical’ Description

Ughulu also rejected Dickson’s description of the decision to establish a separate campaign council as “nonsensical”.

According to the OK Movement director-general, the organisation’s activities should be understood within the context of changing political structures and the growing role of independent political movements.

“So it is not nonsensical as claimed by Seriake Dickson; rather, the national leader of the NDC Party should come to realise that politics has long evolved from the conventional political system he is used to.

“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 stated.

Ughulu maintained that the movement would continue supporting Obi and Kwankwaso while preserving its own internal leadership and administrative arrangements.

Movement Rejects Merger With NDC

The OK Movement further rejected any suggestion that its organisational structures should be absorbed into the NDC.

“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.

Ughulu also insisted that the movement would retain control of the structures it had established across Nigeria.

“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 said.

He argued that cooperation between the movement and the NDC should not be interpreted as organisational subordination.

According to Ughulu, the OK Movement’s decision to support the NDC’s presidential ticket does not mean that its independent identity or internal administrative structure has been transferred to the political party.

Dispute Follows 59-Member Campaign Council Announcement

The latest disagreement is connected to the OK Movement’s unveiling of a 59-member Presidential Campaign Council to coordinate its activities ahead of the 2027 election.

John Ughulu was named director-general of the council, while Saadatu Sani was appointed national secretary. The structure also includes officials and coordinators responsible for areas such as mobilisation, women affairs, strategy, security, legal affairs and administration. Coordinators were also appointed across Nigeria’s 36 states.

The NDC subsequently dissociated itself from the council, saying that it had not been established by the party.

The dispute has since developed into a broader disagreement over the relationship between independent support organisations and the political party whose candidates they are backing.

The NDC has maintained that its official campaign machinery must be constituted through the party’s recognised structures. On September 22, the party announced that Obi and Kwankwaso had been given authority to nominate several key officials of the NDC’s official Presidential Campaign Council in consultation with the party leadership.

The positions reportedly include the Director-General, Deputy Director-General for the North, spokesperson and deputy spokesperson, Head of New Media, Finance Director and Deputy Finance Director.

Against that backdrop, the OK Movement has continued to maintain that it can organise its own activities while supporting the NDC’s presidential ticket.

The movement’s latest response therefore leaves the central disagreement unresolved: the NDC maintains that campaign structures operating on behalf of its candidates should respect the party’s established machinery, while the OK Movement insists that its own organisation and grassroots structures remain independent.

The dispute comes as political parties, candidates and support organisations intensify preparations fo