Last Thursday, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Peter Obi, and his running mate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, set up a 59-member campaign team for the 2027 presidential election. John Ugulu is the Director-General of the campaign.
The NDC National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas, in a statement on Saturday night, disassociated the party from the campaign group.
The OK Movement believes it can operate a parallel presidential campaign structure, while the NDC leadership says this amounts to running as independent candidates.
The NDC insists that all candidates are products of the party and remain subject to its authority and discipline. The OK Movement, however, believes its candidates enjoy organic grassroots support that should not be stifled by party bureaucracy.
The NDC chairman further warned that creating such structures could undermine the party’s authority. The OK Movement argues that its campaign structure is complementary to that of the party.
The current disagreement reflects a strained relationship among key stakeholders in the political alliance.
