A fresh disagreement has emerged between the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and support groups backing its 2027 presidential ticket over the party’s move to register and coordinate support organisations ahead of the election.
The development has sparked resistance from the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement and Kwankwasiyya groups, who insist that their structures should remain independent despite their support for the NDC presidential ticket.
In separate exclusive interviews with The Punch, representatives of the groups expressed reservations about the registration process, arguing that existing political movements should not be absorbed into the party structure.
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The disagreement follows the NDC’s announcement that registration of support groups would be handled exclusively by its Directorate of Support Groups at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, had said the exercise was free and warned state chapters and officials against collecting fees or independently registering support groups.
He said the process was designed to properly coordinate organisations working with the party ahead of the 2027 election.
However, the Director-General of the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement, John Ughulu, rejected the arrangement, saying the movement remained an independent political organisation.
Speaking exclusively with Punch, Ughulu said the movement would not allow its structure to be taken over or controlled by the party.
He argued that while the NDC had the right to create and manage its own campaign structures, independent organisations also had the right to maintain their own leadership and organisational systems.
“The OK Movement therefore makes it clear that we will not accept any attempt by any individual or group to undermine, appropriate, dissolve or otherwise interfere with the legitimate structure and leadership of the movement,” Ughulu said.
He added that the movement would resist any attempt to interfere with its operations.
“The meaning of ‘independent’ is straightforward. The NDC has the right to constitute and manage its own campaign structures. Likewise, an independent political organisation has the right to constitute and manage its own organisational structures, subject always to the law,” he said.
Meanwhile, spokesman of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Habibu Muhammed, called for understanding between the party and the support groups.
Muhammed said the disagreement was partly linked to the process of a new political party attempting to build its structures.
“The truth is that the NDC is evolving and they are trying to do things differently. That is why there are some forms of misunderstanding here and there. But I believe that at the end of the day, everybody will be on the same page,” he said.
He maintained that movements such as Kwankwasiyya and the Obidient Movement had historically operated independently of political parties.
According to him, many members of the groups were not necessarily members of the NDC but were supporting the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket because of their confidence in the candidates.
He urged the party to create a structure that would allow different support groups to operate while still working toward the same political objective.
“The most important thing is for the party to understand this as well and work out something that will be better than just fixing things that are not literally important, as it is doing now,” he said.
The National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr Yunusa Tanko, however, appealed to the various groups to avoid disagreements that could distract from the 2027 election.
Tanko said the NDC remained the platform on which Peter Obi was contesting and urged supporters to focus on the broader political objective.
“The party is a vehicle in which our principal is running. He is contesting on the platform of the NDC,” he said.
Tanko added that any legitimate process that would help the party and its candidate should be supported.
