Presidential candidate Peter Obi has publicly backed the leadership of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and disowned the 59-member Presidential Campaign Council announced by the Obi-Kwankwaso (OK) Movement.
Speaking on Arise Television on Thursday night, Obi said all groups supporting his joint ticket with Rabiu Kwankwaso — including the OK Movement, Obidient Movement and Kwankwasiyya — are support groups and must not function as parallel organs to the party.
“NDC is the political party we all belong to, and I agree entirely with the position of the leader,” Obi said. “They must play their role as supporting groups, supporting the party. They should not play the role of the party.”
When asked if he approved the OK Movement council, he was emphatic: “Not at all. And I say it here, it is wrong.” He added that any activity done in the name of the ticket must have the express approval of both candidates.
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NDC Warns Against Usurping Party Functions
The NDC had earlier disowned the council. National Leader Seriake Dickson warned support groups against assuming party functions, describing the creation of a separate presidential council by a support group as “unheard of” and “nonsensical.”
He insisted support groups should concentrate on grassroots mobilisation rather than competing with the party for political space.
OK Movement Digs In Despite Obi’s Position
Despite Obi’s disavowal, the OK Movement says its council remains valid. National Director-General John Ozyl Ughulu said the structure is “valid and operational, irrespective of the position or opinion of any individual leader of the party or presidential candidate.”
Ughulu argued that the OK Movement is an independent political organisation whose existence and internal decisions do not require validation from Dickson or the NDC leadership.
The group maintained it has never claimed superiority over the NDC, but said it will not surrender its national, state and ward structures.
“Our position is not about confrontation. It is about clarity, institutional respect and the protection of organisational independence,” the Movement said.
