Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The Obi-Kwankwaso Movement has demanded an immediate apology from the Nigeria Democratic Congress over statements by the party’s National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas, concerning its recently unveiled 59-member Presidential Campaign Council, warning that it will not be intimidated or surrender its organisational independence.
The movement’s National Secretary, Saadatu Sani, made the demand in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday, describing Cleopas’s position as unfortunate and reflective of a serious misunderstanding of the movement’s character, structure and constitutional foundation. She urged the NDC chairman to familiarise himself with his own party’s constitution before making assertions about the rights and responsibilities of independent political movements. “The NDC national chairman is therefore called upon to withdraw the statements considered defamatory and to tender an immediate apology to the OK Movement and to our Director General, Hon. John Ughulu,” Sani said.
The dispute erupted after the OK Movement unveiled a 59-member Presidential Campaign Council on Thursday to mobilise support for the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso. The NDC, in a statement signed by Cleopas on Saturday night, dissociated itself from the council, saying it did not emanate from the party and should be disregarded by the public and the media. Cleopas warned that only the party’s leadership could constitute and announce a Presidential Campaign Council, and that no individual, candidate or support group was authorised to create a parallel structure in the party’s name without approval from the National Working Committee.
In its response, the OK Movement said it recognised the supremacy of political parties within their constitutional and statutory spheres, and affirmed its commitment to campaigning for Obi and Kwankwaso as well as NDC candidates it resolves to support across the country. However, the group insisted that such support did not make it a subordinate structure of the party. “The OK Movement is an independent political movement with its own leadership, organisational structure, ideology and internal processes,” Sani said. “We do not require the personal validation or approval of any individual before exercising our legitimate organisational functions.”
The movement also rejected any suggestion that its activities were motivated by the pursuit of political appointments or positions within the party. It described itself as a grassroots organisation built around a long-term political vision, claiming that its internal membership records contain approximately 2.5 million registered members and coordinators with supporting data. That figure remains an internal claim and has not been independently verified. The group maintained that it was not a temporary support organisation established merely for the 2027 election cycle but a movement founded on principles that would outlive its founding members.
The NDC had also referred the movement’s National Director-General, John Ozyl Ughulu, to its disciplinary organ, citing what it described as his conduct during the Lagos State primary and repeated disregard for party authority. Cleopas said the referral related to issues arising from the party’s primary election in Lagos State and concerns over compliance with party authority, and stressed that the matter would be handled through the party’s established constitutional procedures. The chairman did not indicate that the disciplinary process had reached a final determination.
The OK Movement has stood firmly behind Ughulu, describing the statements against him as defamatory and demanding an apology on his behalf. The movement said it would defend its members whenever their integrity was questioned and challenged the NDC chairman to familiarise himself with the party’s constitution before making assertions about the structure and rights of independent political movements.
At the heart of the dispute is a fundamental question about the relationship between political parties and the support groups that work on their behalf. The NDC has taken the position that support groups must operate under the party’s formal structure and comply with its established procedures, while the OK Movement insists that it can maintain an independent organisation while supporting the party’s candidates. Cleopas acknowledged the role played by various organisations supporting the party’s objectives and said the party appreciated their contributions, but stressed that support groups should operate in a manner that complemented rather than competed with the recognised structures of the party. He also called on members and support groups with concerns or disagreements to make use of the party’s internal mechanisms for resolving such matters rather than resorting to public attacks.
The confrontation has widened what was initially a disagreement over the status of a campaign council into a broader dispute over the relationship between the NDC as a political party and the independent movement supporting its presidential ticket. Both sides continue to support the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket, but their public disagreement over campaign authority and Ughulu’s disciplinary referral has exposed a significant organisational fault line as the 2027 election approaches. The movement said it would not be dragged into a politics of personal insults, intimidation or defamatory exchanges, adding that it would continue to educate rather than abuse and present facts rather than manufacture narratives.
For now, the OK Movement appears determined to maintain its structure and continue its campaign activities despite the NDC’s warning. The party has said it remains committed to an issue-based campaign and to its vision of a new Nigeria. Whether the two sides can resolve their differences through internal mechanisms, or whether the dispute escalates into a full-blown crisis, will depend on whether the NDC chairman accedes to the movement’s demand for an apology and withdraws the statements it considers defamatory. As the 2027 general elections draw closer, the standoff between the party and its most prominent support group is a reminder that political coalitions are often as fragile as the ambitions that bring them together.
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