The Directorate of Mobilisation and Integration (DMI), led by its Director-General, Marcel Ngogbehei, has begun consultations on possible political and institutional alliances ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The development followed a national strategy session held virtually on Friday, September 18, 2026, where the organisation reviewed the prolonged leadership crisis in the Labour Party, ongoing court cases involving the party’s leadership and its broader strategy for the 2027 elections.
The meeting, themed “DMI Updates, State of the Nation & Strategies for 2027,” brought together more than 150 state coordinators representing the 36 states through Google Meet, while another 55 participants joined through the organisation’s WhatsApp platform.
Ngogbehei, described as a pioneer organiser of the Obidient Movement and former chairman of the Coalition for Peter Obi (CPO), presided over the meeting.
In a communiqué issued after the session, the DMI reaffirmed that it is a citizen-led governance initiative focused on public engagement, civic participation, grassroots mobilisation and accountability.
The organisation said its objective is to help bridge the gap between citizens and the decisions, institutions and political leaders that affect their lives. It also stressed that citizen participation in governance should extend beyond voting during elections.
DMI Clarifies Relationship With Labour Party
A major issue discussed at the strategy session was the DMI’s relationship with the Labour Party.
The directorate described its relationship with the party as a strategic partnership rather than an organisational merger, stressing that the DMI maintains its own identity, membership, structures and mission.
According to the organisation, the partnership was facilitated by Labour Party National Chairman Julius Abure and developed from the relationship between the Labour Party and the Obidient Movement following the 2023 elections.
The DMI traced the relationship to 2022, when Ngogbehei served as chairman of the Coalition for Peter Obi.
That relationship culminated in the Labour Party/CPO Leadership Summit held at the International Conference Centre in Abuja on August 11, 2022.
The summit brought together Peter Obi, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, the late Doyin Okupe, Julius Abure, Labour Party candidates, presidential campaign officials and support groups.
The DMI said the summit represented an important stage in the cooperation between the Labour Party under Abure’s leadership and the Obidient Movement ahead of the 2023 general elections.
However, the directorate emphasised that the partnership did not make it part of the internal structure of the Labour Party.
Labour Party Leadership Crisis Reviewed
The prolonged leadership crisis within the Labour Party also featured prominently during the strategy session.
The DMI said participants examined the dispute involving Julius Abure, Senator Nenadi Usman, Peter Obi and Abia State Governor Alex Otti.
The discussions covered disagreements over party leadership, internal processes and zoning, as well as the effect of the dispute on grassroots members and volunteers who supported the Labour Party during the 2023 elections.
According to the DMI, the crisis has weakened a political platform in which ordinary Nigerians invested their time, resources and expectations.
The directorate also discussed Peter Obi’s subsequent movement to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and questioned how arguments surrounding zoning during the Labour Party crisis should be interpreted in light of the political arrangement that subsequently emerged within the NDC.
DMI Raises Questions Over Zoning
The organisation specifically drew attention to the issue of zoning.
The DMI said zoning was among the issues cited during the Labour Party dispute but argued that the political arrangement that later emerged in the NDC also raised questions about the consistency of the principle.
According to the directorate, the NDC’s National Leader, National Chairman and presidential candidate are all from the southern part of Nigeria.
The DMI said the development requires further discussion, particularly when considered alongside the arguments advanced during the Labour Party’s internal dispute.
Three Possible Outcomes From Labour Party Litigation
The DMI also reviewed the ongoing legal battle over the leadership of the Labour Party and identified three possible scenarios.
According to the directorate, the Supreme Court could:
- Restore Julius Abure to the leadership of the Labour Party.
- Affirm Senator Nenadi Usman’s leadership.
- Reaffirm the limits of judicial intervention in internal party affairs and leave unresolved matters to party processes or further proceedings before the appropriate courts.
The DMI said each possible outcome could have consequences for the administration of the Labour Party, competing leadership structures, candidate nominations and preparations for the 2027 elections.
The organisation expressed concern that prolonged uncertainty could affect the party’s preparations for the next general elections.
However, it maintained that the DMI’s nationwide structure should not be suspended while waiting for the resolution of litigation involving the leadership of a political party with which it has a strategic partnership.
The directorate therefore resolved to maintain organisational continuity while preparing for different lawful outcomes and respecting binding court decisions and applicable electoral laws.
DMI Opens Door to New Alliances
Against this backdrop, the strategy session mandated Ngogbehei and his leadership team to explore possible new political and institutional alliances ahead of the 2027 elections.
The DMI also said it remains willing to maintain its strategic relationship with the Julius Abure-led Labour Party National Executive Committee (NEC).
At the same time, it invited Labour Party leadership to participate in consultations concerning broader partnerships involving other political parties and institutions.
The organisation, however, clarified that the invitation should not be interpreted as a declaration that it has entered into a new alliance.
Instead, it said the consultations are intended to identify possible areas of cooperation as political circumstances change and as the interests of DMI members and volunteers evolve.
The DMI said it is prepared to work with the Abure-led Labour Party whenever their objectives align, while simultaneously exploring relationships with other political and institutional stakeholders.
DMI Claims Extensive Nationwide Structure
The strategy meeting also received an update on the organisation’s nationwide structure.
According to a report presented during the meeting, the DMI currently has more than 500 state and FCT coordinators, averaging approximately 15 coordinators per state and in the Federal Capital Territory.
It also reported having more than 11,000 coordinators across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas.
Each coordinator has reportedly been tasked with recruiting at least 10 core operational team members.
The DMI said the structure could potentially develop into a nationwide mobilisation and recruitment network of approximately 120,000 coordinators and core team members, although verification of the expanded structure is still ongoing.
The organisation stressed that the network was built through the contributions of citizens and volunteers and should therefore remain a citizen-participation resource rather than become the property of a political party, faction or individual.
DMI Thanks Abure
The directorate also expressed appreciation to Julius Abure for his support, describing him as a Labour Party chairman who has remained committed to the party project despite the internal challenges confronting the organisation.
The DMI said the experience of the Labour Party crisis had reinforced the importance of building citizen-led institutions capable of preserving their missions even when political parties and individual political leaders change direction.
It maintained that its mission extends beyond any single political party or partnership.
The organisation pledged to preserve its nationwide network, promote citizen participation in governance and ensure that the contributions of its coordinators and volunteers continue to be directed toward public participation and accountability.
The latest development places the DMI in a position where it is simultaneously maintaining its existing relationship with the Labour Party while exploring possible political and institutional partnerships ahead of 2027. No new alliance was formally announced in the communiqué.
