Peter Obi agrees with Dickson, condemns OK Movement’s Presidential Campaign Council
NDC Candidate Peter Obi Rejects Rival Campaign Council
LAGOS, Nigeria — Peter Obi, the presidential candidate for the Nigeria Democratic Party (NDC), has expressed his support for the party’s national leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, regarding the role of support groups in the party’s campaign activities. Obi has distanced himself from the 59-member Presidential Campaign Council recently established by the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement, commonly referred to as the OK Movement.
In an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Thursday, Obi addressed the ongoing dispute between the NDC and the OK Movement following the council’s announcement on September 17. He emphasized that while support groups are important, they should not replace the functions of the official party structure.
“The NDC is a political party we all belong to, and I agree entirely with the position of the leader,” said Obi. He urged groups like the OK Movement, as well as the Obidient and Kwankwasiyya factions, to operate strictly as supporters without assuming the organizational roles of the party.
Obi criticized the formation of the council by the OK Movement, stating, “We have a situation where one of the supporting groups is using the nomenclature or forming a presidential campaign council. It shouldn’t be.” He confirmed that he was not consulted prior to the formation of the council, and reaffirmed that any decisions made by the OK Movement must be jointly approved by him and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
“Your OK Movement is Obi and Kwankwaso. So, whatever you do must have the express approval of both of us,” he added, aligning his views with Dickson’s earlier statements that support groups should not operate in competition with the political party they represent.
Dickson has consistently remarked that such groups must avoid vying for political influence or positioning that undermines the party. “Support groups don’t compete with the political party that is sponsoring candidates,” he stated. He encouraged these organizations to focus on grassroots mobilization and to support their candidates rather than functioning as independent political entities.
Despite this, the OK Movement maintains its position as an independent organization with its own internal structure. Director-General John Ughulu announced that they would resist any attempts to dissolve or merge their organization into the NDC.
