Where is the structure? — OK Movement questions NDC campaign council list
NDC Criticized by Obi-Kwankwaso Movement Ahead of 2027 Elections
The Obi-Kwankwaso (OK) Movement has raised concerns regarding the grassroots support and overall readiness of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as the party prepares for the upcoming 2027 general elections. This criticism follows the recent announcement of the NDC’s National Campaign Council.
John Ughulu, Director-General of the OK Movement, expressed his dissatisfaction with the timing of the council’s formation, suggesting that the party has lagged in establishing its campaign framework and lacks the necessary grassroots network to effectively conduct a nationwide campaign.
In a statement released to journalists in Abuja on Monday—one day after the NDC’s announcement—Ughulu highlighted the delay in organizing the campaign team as a point of concern. “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?” he questioned.
Ughulu asserted that the OK Movement has built a more robust grassroots infrastructure, forecasting that NDC members may eventually seek assistance from the movement. He remarked, “The funny part of this list is that 90 percent 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.”
The criticism from the OK Movement coincides with ongoing tensions between the movement and the NDC, particularly concerning the movement’s organizational autonomy and its role in supporting NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi and his running mate Rabiu Kwankwaso.
The NDC had announced its National Campaign Council on Sunday, naming Senator Seriake Dickson as chairman, with Obi serving as co-chairman. Other notable appointments included Senator Cleopas Moses Zuwoghe as vice-chairman, Kwankwaso as co-vice-chairman, and Babachir Lawal as chairman of the National Advisory Council. Additionally, prominent figures such as former Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege and political analyst Pat Utomi were included in the council.
Ughulu and the OK Movement’s coordinators at state, local government, and ward levels were notably absent from the list of appointees.
