Isaac Samuel
The OK Movement has criticised the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) over the composition and timing of its presidential campaign council, questioning whether the party has built the grassroots structure needed to compete in the 2027 general elections.
The movement, which mobilises support for the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, said the unveiling of the campaign council less than three months before the elections raised concerns about the party’s preparedness.
In a statement on Monday, the Director-General of the OK Movement, John Ughulu, questioned the delay in establishing the council and the party’s readiness for the polls.
“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?” Ughulu asked.
The NDC named its National Leader, Seriake Dickson, as chairman of the campaign council, with Obi serving as co-chairman. The party’s National Chairman, Cleopas Zuwoghe, was appointed vice-chairman, while Kwankwaso will serve as co-vice chairman.
Obi’s ally and ICT strategist, Ibrahim Abdulkarim, was named director-general, while the party’s National Secretary, Ikenna Enekweizu, was appointed council secretary.
Ughulu argued that winning elections required effective grassroots mobilisation, strategic planning and an established network reaching polling units, rather than political appointments and public announcements.
“You cannot spend years talking about winning an election and challenging the organisational campaign structure of the most formidable movement in Nigeria and wait until a few months before the polls to begin to organise for victory,” he said.
He maintained that the OK Movement had prioritised grassroots organisation well ahead of the election, adding that some members of the NDC campaign council might eventually need the movement’s support and mobilisation network.
“The OK Movement is not a political decoration, a temporary support group, or an organisation that exists merely to applaud political leaders,” Ughulu said.
He added that the movement was built on principles and intended to demonstrate what effective political organisation should look like.
The criticism follows a disagreement between the NDC leadership and the OK Movement over the support group’s decision to establish a separate campaign council in September.
The NDC had disowned the group’s move, stating that the party would announce its own campaign council.
Despite the disagreement, Ughulu said the movement had continued to build its grassroots structure in preparation for the 2027 elections.
“We did not wait for the election to approach before recognising the importance of grassroots organisation,” he said.
He argued that a presidential ambition without a functional grassroots structure amounted to a political wish, insisting that the movement had completed the groundwork required for its operations.
“The OK Movement is ready. The question is: are they?” he said, referring to the NDC campaign council.
