Presidential Council: ‘They’ll Come Begging’ – OK Movement Slams NDC

NDC Key Takeaways The Obi-Kwankwaso Movement challenged the NDC’s National Campaign Council, with Director-General John Ughulu questioning the party’s grassroots organisation ahead of the 2027 elections. The NDC excluded Ughulu and the movement’s state, local government and ward coordinators from its council after a dispute over the movement’s separate campaign structure. The NDC is expected to inaugurate its National Campaign Council and commission its new national secretariat in Abuja on Monday. The Obi-Kwankwaso Movement has challenged the composition of the Nigeria Democratic Congress’s (NDC) National Campaign Council, questioning the party’s readiness for the 2027 general elections.

Naija News reports that the group said it boasts a stronger grassroots network than the party.

The Director-General of the movement, John Ughulu, said in a statement in Abuja on Monday that the NDC had delayed too long in putting its campaign structure in place.

He warned that political ambition without effective grassroots mobilisation would not deliver victory at the polls.

Ughulu, who reacted a day after the NDC unveiled the council, claimed that most of those named would eventually rely on the OK Movement’s mobilisation network.

“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 questioned what the party had been doing in the months leading up to the elections.

“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 is the latest in a growing disagreement between the party and the movement over the latter’s independence and its role in the campaign of the NDC presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso.

The NDC had, on Sunday, named its National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, as Chairman of the National Campaign Council, with Obi as co-chairman.

The party’s National Chairman, Senator Cleopas Zuwoghe, was named vice-chairman, while Kwankwaso is co-vice-chairman.

A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, was named Chairman of the National Advisory Council.

Others on the list include former Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege; former presidential candidate Pat Utomi; and former National Secretary of the Congress for Progressive Change, Buba Galadima.

The party’s National Secretary, Ikenna Enekweizu, is the council secretary, while Ibrahim Abdulkarim was named Director-General.

Ughulu and the movement’s state, local government, and ward coordinators, however, were left off the list.

The omission followed a face-off over the OK Movement’s decision to set up its own presidential campaign council, a move Dickson described as “unheard of” and “nonsensical.”

The former Bayelsa State governor insisted that support groups should complement political parties, not compete with them or run parallel structures.

Speaking at Lawal’s unveiling in Abuja last month, Dickson said the party would work with support groups but expected them to operate within their limits.

But Ughulu maintained that the OK Movement was an independent political organisation, not an ordinary support group, and insisted it would not hand over its structures to the NDC or any other body.

The movement’s DG argued that elections are won through grassroots work and not by the number of prominent politicians on a campaign council.

“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.

He added that the movement had begun building its network long before the campaign 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!” Ughulu said.

He wondered whether those who had criticised the movement would respect it when they eventually needed its support.

“But the question is: Will they respect the structure they are now coming to depend on?” he asked.

The NDC is expected to inaugurate its National Campaign Council and commission its new 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 Assembly elections as part of activities marking its third National Executive Committee meeting, followed by a dinner.

Ughulu insisted that the movement would not be reduced to a ceremonial support group, stressing that its strength lay in its organisation and loyalty to the Obi-Kwankwaso 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.

“The OK Movement is ready. The question is: are they? Nigeria will be OK,” he added.

Copy link Copied! Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp Telegram Follow Naija News on Google Author: Enioluwa Adeniyi Assistant Editor @Naija News, Industrial psychologist, Vocalist, Music Director, Musician. Email: enioluwa@naijanews.com

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