2027: NDC chairmen insist on party supremacy amid Obi-Kwankwaso dispute
State chairmen of the Nigeria Democratic Congress have reaffirmed the authority of the party’s structures amid disagreements over the role of the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement in preparations for the 2027 general elections.
The chairmen, who spoke across several states, generally described the Obidient and Kwankwasiyyah movements as support groups operating within the party. They said such groups could not establish parallel campaign structures or conduct activities without the party’s approval.
The positions followed the NDC’s September 19 decision to disown a 59-member Presidential Campaign Council announced by the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement, popularly known as the OK Movement, for presidential candidate Peter Obi and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
The party said no individual, candidate or support group was authorised to constitute or announce a campaign council in its name without approval from its National Working Committee.
NDC National Leader Seriake Dickson also warned support groups against operating as parallel structures or competing with the party for control.
However, the Director-General of the OK Movement, John Ughulu, rejected the position and said the movement would not surrender its structure to the NDC.
The disagreement has produced different responses among state chapters, with some chairmen alleging that the support groups had sidelined existing party structures, while others said there was no dispute in their states.
In Osun State, NDC Chairman Charles Omidiji said no movement was superior to the party. He said candidates could conduct individual campaigns but should obtain party approval and work with its structures.
“They are just groups and we have said that the groups cannot do their campaign in isolation,” Omidiji said.
He added that the party was working with support and interest groups to organise its campaign.
Ogun State Chairman Femi Alao similarly said there was no disagreement with the OK Movement but stressed that campaign activities required the party’s approval.
“We have put in place a mechanism to accommodate all interest groups,” Alao said.
Kano State Chairman Hussaini Meriga said the movements of Obi and Kwankwaso operated under the NDC and were therefore required to comply with the party’s rules.
In Anambra, however, Chairman David Chukwudifu alleged that the Obidient Movement had sidelined him and the 326 ward chairmen in the state.
Chukwudifu said the situation had affected political activities in the state and called for intervention from the national leadership. He also said attempts to get Obi to intervene had not received a response.
The Edo State chairman, David Olukoga, described the two movements as support groups alongside other groups within the party and said they would be included in the campaign structure.
NDC National Vice Chairman for the South-East, Teddy Obey, also called for cooperation between the party and the OK Movement.
Obey said the party had been working with both movements to establish a common platform for campaign activities, while reiterating that the party remained supreme.
“I am also an Obidient. Peter Obi is my principal. We are doing everything possible to make sure we deliver the South-East for him,” he said.
The National Convener of the OK Movement, Jackie Wayas, denied that the group was operating separately from the party.
“There is no way the movement can work in isolation. The party is our party, and our principal is in the party,” Wayas said.
In Adamawa State, NDC Chairman Ibrahim Bebetu also denied reports of a division between the party and the movement. He said another campaign list from the national headquarters would accommodate the various interest groups.
The FCT chairman, Haruna Pai, said the matter had been resolved after a meeting with leaders of the Kwankwasiyyah and Obidient movements in Abuja. He said the chapter was awaiting the national campaign list.
In Plateau State, the party created a Directorate of Support Groups to register and coordinate the various movements. State chairman Ndam Solomon said the Obidient Movement coordinator, Dr Jerry Bako, was appointed to head the directorate.
The NDC chapters in Enugu and Akwa Ibom also reported cooperation with the Obidient and Obi-Kwankwaso movements, while the Niger State secretary, Joseph Mamman, described the relationship with the Obidient Movement as cordial.
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