The OK (Obi/Kwankwaso) Movement has declared that it will maintain its independent identity while mobilising support for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and its candidates ahead of the 2027 general election.
Movement’s leader John Ughulu said the group remained committed to its original mission of securing the election of former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi and erstwhile Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
Speaking in an interview Ughulu dismissed suggestions that the movement’s decision to campaign independently would undermine its support for the NDC insisting that the focus should be on achieving a common political objective.
‘What difference does it make when we campaign on parallel lines? The most important thing is that we have one objective’ he said.
Asked whether the movement had decided to retain its independent status rather than formally integrate into the NDC campaign structure Ughulu said its position had not changed.
‘We have always been independent and there is nothing wrong in that. We are campaigning for NDC party’s candidates. I will appreciate we leave it like that’ he added.
He urged members and supporters to remain guided by the principles upon which the movement was established stressing that its political mission remained unchanged.
‘The members of the OK Movement work on the principles upon which we formed the movement. The mission to bring His Excellency Peter Obi and His Excellency Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is sacrosanct’ Ughulu said.
His remarks underscore the movement’s intention to retain its organisational independence while supporting the NDC’s electoral ambitions particularly its presidential candidate Obi in the 2027 contest.
The disagreement between the NDC and the OK Movement followed the movement’s announcement of a 59-member Presidential Campaign Council to mobilise support for the party’s presidential candidate Peter Obi and his running mate Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso ahead of the 2027 general election.
The NDC leadership rejected the arrangement insisting that only the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) had the authority to constitute and announce its official campaign council.
The party also maintained that support groups must operate within its recognised organisational framework rather than establish parallel structures.
NDC National Leader Senator Seriake Dickson reinforced this position arguing that political movements supporting the party’s candidates should complement not compete with the party’s machinery.
The OK Movement however resisted the party’s position insisting that its support for the NDC candidates should not be interpreted as an obligation to surrender its independently established structures.
Ughulu maintained that the movement had its own leadership membership and organisational framework which it was unwilling to dissolve or merge into the party.
The disagreement escalated after the NDC disowned the movement’s campaign council and referred Ughulu to its disciplinary organ over alleged disregard for party authority.
Despite the controversy the movement has maintained that it will continue to mobilise support for Obi and other NDC candidates while retaining its independent identity.