The Obi-Kwankwaso (OK) Movement has cast doubt on the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC)’s nationwide political network and election preparations after the party released the names of officials selected for its National Campaign Council.
John Ughulu, the movement’s Director-General, accused the NDC of being slow to establish its electoral mobilisation team, insisting that the party had not shown evidence of the extensive local connections needed to compete effectively across Nigeria.
He made the remarks on Monday through a statement issued to reporters in Abuja, following Sunday’s disclosure of the council’s membership by the NDC ahead of its formal inauguration in the Federal Capital Territory.
Ughulu maintained that the OK Movement had invested more effort in building a network of supporters and coordinators at the community level. He also suggested that several individuals appointed to the NDC’s campaign body might eventually approach the movement for assistance in organising voters.
He said, “The funny part of this list is that 90 per cent of the people on it will still come knocking on the doors of the OK Movement to beg for the very structure they have failed to build themselves!”
The movement’s leader questioned why the opposition party had waited until this point to constitute its presidential campaign team, arguing that the timing raised doubts about its preparations for the approaching polls.
He demanded that the NDC explain how it intended to conduct a countrywide campaign without an established network of supporters, a clear operational plan and the necessary mobilisation resources.
Ughulu’s comments reflect the widening rift between the party and the OK Movement over the latter’s autonomy, organisational arrangements and participation in efforts to secure victory for the NDC’s presidential contenders, Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso.
The dispute centres partly on the relationship between the party’s official campaign structure and the movement’s existing network of coordinators and supporters.
In its announcement on Sunday, the NDC appointed its National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, to head the National Campaign Council, with presidential candidate Obi serving as his deputy in the council’s leadership.
National Chairman Senator Cleopas Moses Zuwoghe was selected as vice-chairman, while Kwankwaso was assigned the role of co-vice-chairman.
The list also featured several political figures, including Babachir Lawal, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, who was named head of the National Advisory Council. Other appointees included former Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege, former presidential candidate Pat Utomi and Buba Galadima, who previously served as National Secretary of the Congress for Progressive Change.
Ikenna Enekweizu, the party’s National Secretary, was appointed secretary of the campaign council, while Ibrahim Abdulkarim was chosen to serve as its Director-General.
Notably, the published appointments did not include Ughulu or the OK Movement’s coordinators operating across the country’s states, local government areas and wards.
Their absence from the council has added another dimension to the disagreement, with the movement questioning the party’s grassroots capacity and its approach to incorporating existing mobilisation networks into the presidential campaign.
The exchange highlights the growing contest over campaign organisation and political influence as parties prepare for the 2027 general elections.
