The Obi-Kwankwaso Movement, known as the OK Movement, has demanded an apology from the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) following the party’s rejection of a 59-member Presidential Campaign Council unveiled by the group.
The dispute followed the NDC’s announcement that the campaign council did not originate from the party and should not be regarded as an official party structure.
The OK Movement, however, has maintained that it is an independent political organisation with its own leadership, structure and internal processes.
The NDC National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas, said the party had dissociated itself from the campaign council announced under the OK Movement banner.
According to Cleopas, only the party leadership has the authority to constitute and announce a Presidential Campaign Council.
He also warned that individuals, candidates and support groups should not establish or announce campaign structures in the name of the NDC without prior approval from the National Working Committee.
The party said it recognises the contribution of support groups but maintained that such groups should not operate as parallel structures of the party.
Responding in Abuja on Sunday, OK Movement National Secretary Saadatu Sani described the NDC chairman’s position as unfortunate and said it reflected what she called a misunderstanding of the movement’s structure and independence.
Sani called on Cleopas to withdraw statements the movement considers defamatory and apologise to the organisation and its Director-General, John Ughulu.
She said the movement would not engage in personal attacks or what it described as intimidation, insisting that it would continue to defend its principles and members.
The OK Movement said it recognises the authority of political parties within their constitutional and statutory responsibilities.
Sani said the movement would campaign for Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso, as well as other NDC candidates in areas where the organisation decides to support them.
However, she maintained that supporting the party’s candidates does not make the movement a subordinate structure of the NDC.
“But we do not require the personal validation or approval of any individual before exercising our legitimate organisational functions,” Sani said.
Sani said the movement had established a grassroots structure across the country, with an internal database that she said represents approximately 2.5 million registered members and coordinators.
She also described the OK Movement as a long-term political organisation rather than a temporary support group created solely for the 2027 elections.
The movement had unveiled a 59-member campaign council comprising zonal and state coordinators, alongside directors responsible for areas including mobilisation, women’s affairs, strategy, security and legal affairs.
The membership figure and other organisational claims were made by the movement and have not been independently verified.
The OK Movement secretary also rejected allegations concerning Ughulu’s alleged involvement in the Lagos State primary.
Sani said the organisation welcomed the opportunity to place its position on the matter on record.
She reiterated that the movement would continue to defend its members when their integrity is questioned while avoiding what she described as personal insults and defamatory exchanges.
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The disagreement highlights a dispute over the relationship between the NDC and an external support organisation campaigning for the party’s presidential ticket of Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso.
While the NDC has stressed that campaign structures operating in its name require approval from the party leadership, the OK Movement says its independent organisational status allows it to maintain its own structures while supporting the party’s candidates.
Both sides have publicly stated that they support the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket, but differ over the authority and status of the OK Movement’s campaign structure.