A fresh crisis is brewing within the Obi/Kwankwaso Movement, popularly known as the OK Movement, over alleged moves to remove its founder, John Ughulu, as Director-General.
The movement is also opposing reported plans to merge the organisation with the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
The OK Movement is a political platform established to mobilise support for the joint ticket of the NDC presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
However, grassroots leaders of the movement across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory have rejected both proposals.
They made their position known at a National Leadership Summit held in Abuja on Wednesday, which brought together national leaders, zonal coordinators, state coordinators, local government leaders and ward mobilisers.
In a communiqué issued on Friday, the movement said the National Congress unanimously resolved to retain Ughulu as its Director-General.
The leaders said Ughulu had built the movement’s grassroots structure from the ward level and remained central to its operations.
“The strength of any political movement rests in its human structure on the ground,” the movement stated.
The group also rejected any proposal to merge the OK Movement with the NDC or any other external political organisation.
It argued that such a move could disrupt its programmes, weaken its identity and undermine the grassroots structure it had built over time.
The movement, however, said it remained open to working with allied organisations pursuing shared political objectives.
The most significant outcome of the summit was a warning from the grassroots leadership against any attempt to forcibly restructure the organisation.
The OK Movement said its state, local government and ward leaders had indicated that they would not continue operating under any arrangement that removed Ughulu as Director-General or compromised the organisation’s independence.
The leadership said the position was not a threat but a reflection of the possible consequences of any forced restructuring.
“We would rather resolve matters of this nature together now than see a capable structure dissolve avoidably,” it stated.
The development could complicate ongoing efforts to consolidate opposition political structures ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Despite the disagreement, the movement extended an invitation to Jacky Wayas to return to the organisation and offered her the position of Director for Strategic Implementation and Planning, which would operate under the Director-General.
The summit also approved Prince Suleiman Abubakar as Deputy Director-General, North. He replaces Ambassador Muhammad Auwal Musa, who resigned from the position.
Following the summit, the movement’s national leadership paid a visit to Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, where the delegation briefed him on the outcome of the meeting and reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to unity.
The leaders also visited Alhaji Buba Galadima, Chairman of the Advisory Council.
According to the communiqué, Galadima urged members to remain united and preserve the independence of the movement. He also cautioned against merging the OK Movement with the NDC, irrespective of how such a proposal was presented.
The movement said it remained committed to mobilising Nigerians towards building a better Nigeria, while insisting that the collective position of its grassroots members must be respected.
