OK Movement makes U-turn on campaign council, blames APC for crisis

The OK Movement has acknowledged that its recently disowned presidential campaign council (PCC) was created without adherence to due process.

The spokesperson of OK Movement, Emmanuel Idakwo, disclosed this on Thursday when he appeared as a guest on Sunrise Daily, a Channels TV’s breakfast programme.

“The issue of a campaign council that was allegedly published by some individuals claiming to be members of the OK Movement. But I can assure you that that was not done officially.

“Because even Peter Obi had no knowledge of it. And it’s not possible for any member of the OK Movement to officially do such without his knowledge. So, it was not officially done. There was a motive behind it,” he said.

The OK (short for Obi-Kwankwaso) Movement is one of the independent groups mobilising support for the 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso.

Recall that the leadership of the NDC and the OK Movement appeared to have been in a face-off after the party disowned a PCC unveiled by the support group.

In response, the support group rejected the NDC’s position, insisting that it does not require the personal validation or approval of any individual within the NDC before exercising its legitimate organisational functions.

‘Not by official leadership’

Mr Idakwo stressed that the OK Movement has a cordial relationship with the NDC and its National Leader, Seriake Dickson.

The spokesperson argued that every action and statements made by a supposed supporter of Mr Obi especially on social media are often ascribed to the OK Movement.

He suggested that the creation of the PCC and other remarks attributed to the OK Movement were “never done by any official leadership” of the support group.

“There is no official leadership of either the Obidient Movement, the Kwankwasiya, the OK Movement

that has ever come up to say that they are against the NDC structure or the party leadership.

“So, anyone who says these things online claiming to be members of these groups, I can tell you they are not verified to be part of the leadership of the groups,” he said.

‘APC stoking crisis in the NDC to discredit party’

Mr Idakwo alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had been doing “everything” to discredit the NDC.

“I will tell you quite frankly that everything that is possible to be thrown at the NDC to reduce the credibility of the party or reduce the level of sensitisation that is rapidly growing with supporters is being done by the ruling party,” he claimed.

The spokesperson insisted that the APC had been stoking the crisis in the NDC by amplifying minor issues such as the campaign council controversy to create an impression that the opposition party was divided.

“I believe that if you look at the stories on the internet, the comments from individuals, you would see that these issues are being amplified equally by supporters of the APC just to discredit our NDC to make it look like the NDC is divided,” he alleged.

APC silent

When contacted on Thursday for comments on the allegations, the spokesperson of the APC, Felix Morka, asked a PREMIUM TIMES reporter to forward his questions via a text message.

But Mr Morka was yet to respond to the questions as of the time of this report.

Background

There had been a face-off between the NDC leadership and members of OK Movement over setting up of the PCC for the 2027 election.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that, on 17 September, the OK Movement constituted a 59-member PCC to mobilise support for Messrs Obi and Kwankwaso ahead of the 2027 election.

The support group claimed the PCC would operate independent of the PCC to be inaugurated by the NDC.

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But the NDC disowned the support group, maintaining that the party would soon unveil its PCC for the 2027 election.

It warned the support group that their action could destabilise the party.

However, the support group, in response, rejected the NDC’s position, insisting that it does not require the personal validation or approval of any individual within the party before exercising its legitimate organisational functions in accordance with established processes.

The NDC later gave Messrs Obi and Kwankwaso the power to nominate choice leaders of the party’s soon-to-be unveiled PCC.