2027 elections: At last, Peter Obi speaks on creation of campaign council by OK Movement

The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, (NDC), Peter Obi has rejected the creation of a Presidential Campaign Council by the OK Movement, a support group mobilising support for his 2027 presidential bid.

Obi stated this on Thursday night when he appeared as a guest on Arise News’ Prime Time programme.

The OK Movement, formed from the names of Obi and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, recently unveiled a 59-member Presidential Campaign Council to coordinate support for the duo ahead of the 2027 election.

However, the development has created a disagreement between the support group and the NDC leadership, with the party distancing itself from the council.

NDC remains political platform

Obi said the NDC remained the political party to which he and other members belonged, while groups such as the OK Movement, Obedient Group and Kwankwasiya should operate strictly as support groups.

“First is that the NDC is the political party we all belong to. And I agree entirely with the position of the leader, Seriake Dickson. OK Movement, Obedient Group, KwanKwasiya, and other supporting groups are supporting groups,” Obi said.

He added that such groups should support the party rather than assume responsibilities belonging to a political party.

“We found a situation where one of the supporting groups, OK Movement, is using a nomenclature; that it is forming the presidential campaign council. It shouldn’t be,” the former Anambra State governor said.

The comments followed a similar position by former Bayelsa State governor Seriake Dickson, who had argued that support groups should not constitute campaign councils in the manner of political parties.

‘I wasn’t informed’

Asked whether he approved the Presidential Campaign Council announced by the OK Movement, Obi responded in the negative.

“Not at all,” he said, describing the formation of the council without his knowledge as wrong.

“The OK Movement is (crafted from) Obi and Kwankwaso. So whatever you do must have express approval of both of us,” he said.

Obi attributed the disagreement partly to the actions of some leaders of support groups who, according to him, sometimes act contrary to directives.

“At times, in doing these things, some people who are supposed to manage it, the support group, act contrary to directives given to them,” he said.

The dispute began after the OK Movement constituted its 59-member campaign council on September 17 to mobilise support for Obi and Kwankwaso.

The group had said its council would operate independently of the campaign council to be inaugurated by the NDC.

The NDC subsequently disowned the support group’s action and said the party would soon unveil its own Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 election. It also warned that the development could destabilise the party.

The OK Movement, however, rejected the NDC’s position, maintaining that it did not require personal validation or approval from any individual within the party to carry out its organisational activities.