morgANABLE politics/elections
While the NDC leadership insists on maintaining institutional authority, the OK Movement has rejected calls to dissolve or subordinate its structure, raising concerns about a possible fragmentation of campaign efforts.
KaNo—
State chairmen of the Nigeria Democratic Congress have pushed back against the growing influence of the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement, insisting on the supremacy of party structures amid widening disagreements over campaign coordination ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The chairmen, who spoke with Punch News across no fewer than 10 states, maintained that while support groups such as the Obidient and Kwankwasiyyah movements could mobilise grassroots backing, they lacked the authority to establish parallel campaign structures or operate independently of the party’s control.
The development comes days after the NDC leadership publicly disowned a 59-member Presidential Campaign Council unveiled by the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement, also known as the OK Movement, for the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
The party had, on September 19, warned that no individual, candidate or support group was authorised to constitute or announce any campaign structure in its name without the approval of its National Working Committee, a position that has since deepened internal tensions.
At the heart of the dispute is the struggle for control between the party’s formal hierarchy and the support groups that played a key role in building momentum for Obi and Kwankwaso’s candidacy.
While the NDC leadership insists on maintaining institutional authority, the OK Movement has rejected calls to dissolve or subordinate its structure, raising concerns about a possible fragmentation of campaign efforts.,
NDC National Leader, Seriake Dickson, had earlier criticised the activities of the OK Movement, warning that support groups must not operate as parallel structures or compete with the party for control.
However, the Director-General of the OK Movement, John Ughulu, dismissed the party’s stance, declaring that the group would not collapse its structure or surrender its operations to the NDC.
The opposing positions have now drawn reactions from state-level party leaders, many of whom have aligned firmly with the national leadership in asserting party supremacy.
In Osun State, the NDC Chairman, Charles Omidiji, said it was unacceptable for any support group to act independently of the party, stressing that candidates must carry the party structure along in all campaign activities.
According to him, while candidates could engage in personal outreach and mobilisation, such efforts must be coordinated with and approved by the party to avoid confusion and conflict.
“They are just groups and we have said that the groups cannot do their campaign in isolation. They may have one-on-one campaigns because you cannot tell a candidate not to campaign on his own. But they must refer back to the party and carry the structure along,” Omidiji said.
He warned that any candidate who conducted campaigns without the involvement of the party risked operating outside the party’s protective framework, particularly in the event of disputes or crises.
“It is the party that will be held responsible if anything goes wrong during a campaign. Authorities cannot give a candidate permission to campaign except the party gives a nod. The party owns the agents and supervises the election, so it remains supreme,” he added.
Omidiji further cautioned that candidates who chose to rely solely on their support groups for campaigns would have to bear the consequences, including the absence of party agents to monitor elections on their behalf.
“If they go ahead with separate campaigns in the name of their movements, it means they will do the election on their own. The party will leave them to their fate. Nobody will monitor the election for them because it is the party that provides agents,” he said.
Echoing similar sentiments, the NDC Chairman in Ogun State, Femi Alao, dismissed suggestions of a rift but reaffirmed that all campaign activities must be subject to party approval.
“There is nothing like disagreement between the NDC and the OK Movement. What we are saying is that the party is supreme and we should all come together to have a common front,” Alao said.
“You cannot have a campaign without the approval of the party. We have already put mechanisms in place to accommodate all interest groups.”
In Kano State, the NDC Chairman, Hussaini Meriga, also insisted that the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement must operate strictly within the framework of the party’s constitution.
“The party is supreme over any movement. Though Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso had their separate movements before coming together, those movements are now under the party and must obey its rules and regulations,” he said.
Despite these assurances from some states, the situation appears more contentious in others.
In Anambra State, the NDC Chairman, David Chukwudifu, accused the Obidient Movement of sidelining the party’s established structure, including himself and 326 ward chairmen.
Chukwudifu lamented that the actions of the support group had effectively paralysed party activities in the state, warning that the situation could have serious implications for the party’s electoral prospects.
“I am the founder and chairman of the NDC in the state. I brought the party to Anambra from Abuja, but there are no political activities because of how the Obidients are operating. They have sidelined all of us, including the 326 ward chairmen,” he said.
He added that repeated attempts to reach the party’s presidential candidate for intervention had not yielded results, leaving the state chapter in a state of uncertainty.
“This crisis will not only affect the party but also the coming election. We are looking up to the national leadership to resolve the issue,” he said.
Political analysts say the dispute underscores a broader challenge facing modern political campaigns in Nigeria, where informal grassroots movements often clash with established party hierarchies over control, messaging and strategy.
They warn that if not carefully managed, the tensions between the NDC and its support groups could weaken internal cohesion and undermine the party’s chances in the 2027 elections.
As the campaign season gradually gathers momentum, the ability of the party leadership to harmonise its structures with the enthusiasm of its support base may prove decisive.
