2027: As NDC, OK Movement Clash over Control of Campaign Structures…

A dispute has erupted within the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) over the control of campaign structures, as tensions rise between the party and the Obi/Kwankwaso (OK) Movement. The conflict began when the OK Movement constituted a 59-member Presidential Campaign Council, comprising zonal and state coordinators, each responsible for specific areas such as mobilisation, women affairs, strategy, security, and legal matters.

The NDC leadership, however, rejected the campaign council, stating that it did not emanate from the party and should be disregarded. The controversy intensified when NDC presidential candidate Mr Peter Obi publicly backed the party's position, rejecting the OK Movement's campaign council. Obi clarified that the NDC is the political party he and his supporters belong to, and the OK Movement, Obidient groups, Kwankwaso and other supporting groups should function as support organisations, not as the party.

The dispute has been further complicated by comments from the NDC National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, who described the establishment of the campaign council as "unheard of" and "nonsensical". He argued that support organisations should not compete with the political party and should only mobilise for the candidates, not establish structures that could challenge the party's authority.

The OK Movement maintains that it is an independent political organisation, not merely a support group, and insists that its organisational independence is separate from its support for the NDC candidates. The conflict has raised questions about the authority of independent political movements when campaigning for the same presidential candidate as a political party.