The Obi-Kwankwaso Movement has reiterated its independence from the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), insisting that its operations and organisational structure are not funded or controlled by the party or its presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
The movement’s Director-General, John Ughulu, made the position known in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, September 25, amid an ongoing disagreement between the group and the NDC over campaign structures ahead of the 2027 elections.
Ughulu said the movement was established around its own principles and values and had not relied on financial support from Obi or the NDC to build or operate its structure.
He said, “The mechanism through which the OK Movement operates is founded upon its established principles and values.
“Consequently, the movement does not and has not required any financial support from His Excellency, Peter Obi, the NDC presidential candidate, or the NDC to establish or operate its own organisational structure.”
The latest statement came shortly after the NDC announced the opening of registration for support groups ahead of the 2027 elections.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, said the exercise was free and would be conducted exclusively by the Directorate of Support Groups at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.
Director said the decision followed reports that some state chairmen were collecting registration fees from support groups. He warned that state chapters, officers and other party officials were not authorised to conduct the registration or demand payments, adding that anyone who violated the directive would face disciplinary action.
Against that backdrop, Ughulu maintained that the OK Movement was a separate political organisation with its own leadership and internal arrangements.
He argued that the movement had deliberately designed its structure to prevent dependence on Obi, his running mate, Dr Rabiu Kwankwaso, or the NDC for its operations.
While acknowledging that the NDC has its own constitutional structures, Ughulu said the movement had never claimed to be superior to the party. Rather, he said, the two organisations operate under different organisational frameworks.
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Ughulu further argued that neither the Nigerian Constitution nor the NDC constitution, as presented to the movement, gives the party or its presidential candidate automatic control over the internal affairs of an independent political organisation.
“There is no provision of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, nor any provision of the NDC Party Constitution brought to our attention, that automatically vests exclusive authority in a political party or its candidate to determine the internal organisational structure of an independent political organisation.
“The NDC Party is entitled to constitute its own campaign structures, just as the OK Movement is entitled to organise and manage its own affairs within the limits of applicable law,” he said.
The dispute intensified after the OK Movement announced a 59-member Presidential Campaign Council for the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket.
The NDC subsequently rejected the council, maintaining that only its National Working Committee had the authority to constitute a presidential campaign council. Ughulu, however, insisted that the movement had the right to establish and manage its own structure.
He said the movement’s position should not be interpreted as an attempt to undermine or confront the party.
“Our position is not about confrontation. It is about clarity, institutional respect and the protection of organisational independence. If the party chooses to work with the principles, values and structures of the OK Movement, we remain prepared to engage constructively.
“However, the movement cannot be compelled to abandon its principles or organisational identity to satisfy the ambitions or preferences of any individual or group,” he stated.
Ughulu said the concept of independence applied equally to the NDC and the OK Movement, with each entitled to manage its own organisational affairs within the law.
“The meaning of ‘independent’ is straightforward. The NDC has the right to constitute and manage its own campaign structures. Likewise, an independent political organisation has the right to constitute and manage its own organisational structures, subject always to the law,” he noted.