OK Movement Rejects Dickson’s Description, Insists on Independence

* Vows to resist any attempt to absorb, appropriate structures Sunday Aborisade in Abuja The Obi-Kwankwaso Movement, popularly known as the OK Movement, has rejected the description of the organisation as a mere support group of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), insisting that it remains an independent political organisation with its own structures and internal administration. The National Director-General of the movement, Hon. John Ozyl Ughulu, made the position known in a statement on Wednesday, coming barely a day after the National Leader of the NDC, Senator Seriake Dickson, described the activities of the OK Movement as “unheard of” and “nonsensical”. Dickson, while receiving a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, into the NDC in Abuja on Tuesday, had warned that support groups should not establish structures that compete with the political party sponsoring their candidates. He had said: “Support groups don’t compete with the political party that is sponsoring candidates. Support groups don’t compete for supremacy, for space. Support groups are what they are: support groups. “They provide grassroots support, mobilisation and support. They don’t convert themselves to become critics of the political party sponsored.” Dickson’s comments followed the decision by the OK Movement to constitute a 59-member Presidential Campaign Council to mobilise support for NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso. The NDC had earlier dissociated itself from the council, saying its formation did not emanate from the party. But Ughulu, in the statement titled ‘Statement on the Status, Independence and Structure of the OK Movement,’ said the movement would not accept any attempt to redefine its identity or subordinate its organisational structures to the NDC. He said the OK Movement agreed that the Obidient Movement was a support movement but argued that a distinction had to be made between the various political organisations supporting the NDC candidates. Ughulu said: “I strongly agree with the position expressed by His Excellency, Senator Seriake Dickson, that the Obidient Movement is a support movement. “It is also noteworthy that the Coordinator of the Obidient Movement was present at the press briefing where this position was expressed. “However, there appears to be a missing link in the argument currently being advanced.” According to him, “If the Obidient Movement and Kwankwasiyya are support movements, then it becomes necessary to properly define the identity and status of the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement, popularly known as the OK Movement. “For the avoidance of doubt, the OK Movement is an independent political organization. It is not a support group created as an appendage of any political party or another movement. “It is independently organized, managed and structured through its own established movement mechanisms.” Ughulu consequently rejected Dickson’s characterization of the movement, arguing that political organisation in Nigeria had evolved beyond the conventional party structures. “So it is not nonsensical as claimed by HE Seriake Dickson rather the national leader of the NDC Party should come to reality that politics has long evolved from the conventional political system he is use to,” he said. The OK Movement, according to Ughulu, comprises members drawn from different political parties who share common political aspirations around Obi and Kwankwaso. “Our position is therefore clear,” he said, stressing that the movement’s independence was not negotiable. He said the OK Movement would continue to mobilise, campaign and vote for the NDC candidates, while retaining control of its own organisational machinery. “Our loyalty to our preferred candidates is unwavering. We will mobilize, campaign, vote and defend every legitimate vote cast for the candidates we support,” Ughulu declared. He added that the movement “will not be collapsed, merged or subsumed into the NDC Party or any other organization”. According to him, political cooperation between the movement and the NDC should not be interpreted as organisational subordination. “Cooperation and political alignment do not extinguish the independent identity of the movement,” he said. Ughulu also insisted that the movement’s structures at the national, state, local government and ward levels belonged to the OK Movement and would remain under its control. He said: “Our organizational structure remains the property and responsibility of the OK Movement. “We will not surrender our established national, state, local government and ward structures to any political party or external support group for management.” The development represents the latest disagreement over the relationship between the NDC and the grassroots organisations associated with Obi and Kwankwaso ahead of the 2027 general election. The disagreement over organisational control is not entirely new. In June, the NDC had warned affiliated groups and NGOs against operating independently or in parallel with the party structure. Dickson subsequently said the Obidient and Kwankwasiyya movements had distinct identities but that their principals were the NDC’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates. In August, National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr Yunusa Tanko, also dismissed claims that the Obidient Movement had collapsed into the OK Movement. He had said several groups were working towards the same objective of supporting Obi and Kwankwaso, adding that an OK Campaign Council was expected to be formally pronounced by the key political leaders. The OK Movement subsequently announced its 59-member campaign council in September, prompting the NDC to publicly distance itself from the structure. But Ughulu maintained that the movement had the legitimate right to organise its members and establish its own campaign and mobilisation structures. He said: “The movement has the legitimate organizational right to establish its own campaign structure and strategy. “We are not aware of any provision of the NDC Party constitution that expressly prohibits an independent political organization from establishing its own campaign council or mobilization structure in support of the party’s candidates.” He, however, clarified that the movement was not claiming supremacy over the NDC or seeking to usurp the party’s constitutional powers. “The OK Movement does not claim supremacy over the NDC Party, nor does it seek to usurp the constitutional powers of the party. “What we are asserting are fundamental organizational and political rights, including the right to choose and support our preferred candidates. “The right to campaign for the political party and candidates we support; mobilize voters across the country; establish our own campaign and operational structures; coordinate our members and volunteers; and protect and defend the legitimate votes of the people,” he said. Ughulu said the movement respected the NDC and recognised the party’s constitutional authority over its internal affairs, but insisted that the party must equally respect the independent identity and interests of the OK Movement. “Our cooperation with the NDC Party should therefore be understood as political collaboration, not organizational subordination,” he stated. The group also warned that it would resist any attempt to take over or dissolve its structures without due authorisation from its legitimate organs. Ughulu said: “We will resist, through lawful and democratic means, any attempt by any individual or group to disenfranchise members of the movement, appropriate its structures, or unilaterally redefine its identity. “We did not build the OK Movement overnight. Its structures were established through the commitment, sacrifice and participation of thousands of members and coordinators across the country. “No individual can simply declare that structure dissolved, transferred or absorbed without the authority of the movement’s legitimate organs.” Despite the disagreement, the movement reaffirmed its commitment to the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket and the NDC platform. Ughulu said the OK Movement would continue to participate in the political process peacefully and lawfully, while defending the votes of its supporters. He said: “We will not be intimidated. We will not surrender our identity. We will not abandon the structures we have built. “And above all, we will continue to participate peacefully, lawfully and decisively in the democratic process and defend every legitimate mandate entrusted to us by the Nigerian people. “The OK Movement stands united, organized and focused.”