2027: NDC Disowns 59-Member Obi-Kwankwaso Campaign Council

By Nafiu Muhammad Lema

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has disowned a 59-member Presidential Campaign Council unveiled by the Obi-Kwankwaso (OK) Movement, saying the structure was not authorised by the party.

NDC National Chairman, Senator Cleopas Moses, stated this in a release on Saturday, directing the public and media to disregard the campaign council.

The OK Movement had announced the council on Thursday as part of efforts to mobilise support for the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The proposed structure comprised zonal and state coordinators, alongside directors overseeing areas including mobilisation, women’s affairs, strategy, security and legal affairs.

John Ughulu, Director-General of the OK Movement, was named Director-General of the campaign council, while the movement’s National Secretary, Saadatu Sani, was designated secretary.

However, Moses said the structure did not originate from the NDC, stressing that the authority to constitute and announce a Presidential Campaign Council rested with the party leadership.

“The party hereby dissociates itself in totality from the said OK Movement PCC announcement. It did not emanate from the party and should be disregarded by the public and the media,” Moses said.

He reminded candidates contesting under the NDC platform that they were bound by the authority and discipline of the party.

“All candidates of the party must appreciate that they are not running as independent candidates. They are products of the party and remain subject to the authority and discipline of the party,” he said.

The NDC chairman also warned individuals and support groups against announcing campaign structures in the party’s name without approval from the National Working Committee (NWC).

“Henceforth, no individual or group is authorised to announce, constitute, or publish any campaign council, structure, or organ in the name of the party without prior approval from the National Working Committee (NWC),” he said.

Moses acknowledged the contributions of support groups to the party’s activities but cautioned them against operating as parallel or alternative structures.

He further directed that grievances by members and support groups should be addressed through the party’s internal mechanisms.

The NDC chairman also said Ughulu would be referred to the appropriate disciplinary organ over what he described as “excesses during the primary election in Lagos State” and “repeated disregard for party authority.”

The OK Movement had described its 59-member council as a nationwide mobilisation platform for the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket, with Saadatu Sani saying the group was committed to mobilising Nigerians toward a “better, more prosperous, united and functional Nigeria.”

The development highlights a disagreement between the OK Movement’s support-group campaign structure and the NDC’s position that formal campaign machinery must be established and approved by the party leadership.