The simmering dispute between the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Obi-Kwankwaso (OK) Movement has taken a fresh turn, with the movement openly challenging the party leadership over its authority to regulate its activities.
The OK Movement, in a strongly worded response to NDC National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas, said it would not be intimidated or surrender its organisational independence.
The latest development followed the NDC’s disowning of a Presidential Campaign Council announced by the movement for the 2027 election.
Cleopas had warned that only the NDC leadership could constitute and announce a Presidential Campaign Council, saying no support group or individual was authorised to create a parallel structure in the party’s name.
The party also referred the OK Movement’s National Director-General, John Ozyl Ughulu, to its disciplinary organ over alleged “excesses” during the Lagos State primary and what it described as repeated disregard for party authority.
But the OK Movement has refused to retreat.
In a statement signed by its National Secretary, Saadatu Muhammed Sani, the group said it recognised the constitutional authority of political parties but insisted that the OK Movement was not an organ of the NDC.
‘We do not need your approval’
The movement said it had its own leadership, structure, ideology and internal processes and would continue to operate within those structures.
It stressed that its decision to support the NDC presidential ticket did not amount to surrendering its independence to the party or any of its officials.
“We do not require the personal validation or approval of any individual before exercising our legitimate organisational functions,” the movement said.
It further declared that it would continue campaigning for the NDC presidential and vice-presidential candidates, as well as other NDC candidates it had resolved to support across the country.
Ughulu becomes flashpoint
The dispute has also brought Ughulu to the centre of the widening disagreement.
While the NDC has accused him of disregarding party authority and referred him for disciplinary action, the OK Movement has stood behind him and demanded an apology from Cleopas over statements it considers defamatory.
The movement said it would defend its members whenever their integrity was questioned.
It also challenged the NDC chairman to familiarise himself with the party’s constitution before making assertions about the structure and rights of independent political movements.
‘Our principles are not for sale’
The OK Movement said its support for the NDC was not based on expectations of political appointments or positions.
It described itself as a grassroots organisation built around a long-term political vision and claimed that its internal records contain about 2.5 million registered members and coordinators nationwide.
That figure is the movement’s own claim and has not been independently verified.
The group said its principles would not be sacrificed for political convenience and warned that it would not be dragged into personal attacks or defamatory exchanges.
Dispute exposes deeper tension
The latest exchange has pushed the disagreement beyond the original campaign council controversy.
At the heart of the dispute is a fundamental question: whether support groups working for the NDC ticket must operate entirely under the party’s formal structure or can maintain independent organisations while supporting its candidates.
The NDC has taken the former position, while the OK Movement is insisting on the latter.
Both sides continue to support the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket, but their public disagreement over campaign authority and Ughulu’s disciplinary referral has exposed a significant organisational fault line as the 2027 election approaches.
For now, the OK Movement appears determined to maintain its structure and continue its campaign activities despite the NDC’s warning.