* OK Movement mocks late preparations, says rivals could search its grassroots construction
Sunday Aborisade in Abuja
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has unveiled its National Campaign Council for the 2027 common election, appointing its National Leader, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, as chairman, with its presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, and vice-presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, occupying key positions within the marketing campaign hierarchy.
The announcement has, nevertheless, drawn criticism from the OK Movement, whose National Director-General, Hon. John Ozyl Ughulu, questioned the preparedness of political organisations nonetheless placing their marketing campaign equipment collectively, warning that distinguished names on a marketing campaign council don’t essentially translate into electoral power.
Ughulu argued that political ambition with no useful grassroots construction might show insufficient in a nationwide election, predicting that some political actors who had criticised the motion would possibly ultimately search its organisational networks and mobilisation capability.
“The funny part of this list is that 90 per cent of the people on it will still come knocking on the doors of the OK Movement to beg for the very structure they have failed to build themselves,” he mentioned.
“The irony is unbelievable! With less than three months to the general election, they are only just announcing their presidential campaign council. What exactly have they been doing all this time? Where is the structure? Where is the strategy? Where is the machinery required to prosecute a serious national election?”
The NDC’s marketing campaign council, in line with the announcement, could have the occasion’s National Chairman, Senator Cleopas Moses Zuwoghe, as vice-chairman, whereas its National Secretary, Ikenna Morgan Enekweizu, will function council secretary. Mallam Ibrahim Hussain Abdulkarim has been appointed Director-General.
The composition brings the occasion’s principal political figures right into a central marketing campaign construction anticipated to coordinate its electoral technique, nationwide mobilisation and communication of its coverage agenda forward of the January 2027 common election.
Dickson’s appointment as chairman, with Obi serving as co-chairman and Kwankwaso as co-vice-chairman, locations the occasion’s main figures on the centre of the marketing campaign organisation because it seeks to translate its political platform right into a nationwide electoral operation.
The council is predicted to coordinate marketing campaign actions throughout the states, native authorities areas, wards and polling models, whereas aligning the occasion’s management, grassroots organisation and coverage messaging round a typical technique.
The NDC mentioned its marketing campaign could be people-centred and issue-based, anchored on its imaginative and prescient of a brand new, simply and affluent Nigeria. It additionally referred to as on members, supporters and well-meaning Nigerians to stay united and targeted as preparations for the election intensify.
But Ughulu insisted that the announcement of a marketing campaign council, regardless of the political stature of its members, shouldn’t be mistaken for proof of ample electoral preparation.
“Elections are not won by titles, press releases, political noise, or the number of big names on a campaign council,” he mentioned.
“Elections are won through grassroots mobilisation, effective coordination, strategic planning, committed people, and a well-established structure that reaches every polling unit.”
He maintained that efficient electioneering required sustained groundwork, a longtime community of dedicated supporters and the flexibility to coordinate political actions past bulletins and public appearances.
According to him, political organisations that delay constructing their operational buildings till the election approaches might discover it tough to transform public enthusiasm and political prominence into votes.
The OK Movement director-general mentioned his organisation had intentionally prioritised grassroots mobilisation and organisational growth, arguing that the excellence between political ambition and the capability to execute it could turn into clearer because the election drew nearer.
He mentioned: “This is the place the OK Movement stands aside. While others are nonetheless making an attempt to determine how one can construct their buildings, the OK Movement has been doing the exhausting work. We have demonstrated foresight, organisational capability, strategic pondering, and management when it issues most.
“We did not wait for the election to approach before recognising the importance of grassroots organisation. We understood from the beginning that a presidential ambition without a functional grassroots structure is nothing more than a political wish!”
Ughulu additionally predicted that the stress of electioneering might compel some political organisations to hunt help from established mobilisation networks, together with these of the OK Movement.
“Let the truth be told: when the pressure mounts and the reality of electioneering sets in, many of those who look down on the OK Movement today may be the same people who will come seeking our coordinators, our networks, our mobilisation capacity, and our organisational expertise,” he mentioned.
He, nevertheless, questioned whether or not such political actors would respect the motion’s independence in the event that they ultimately wanted its organisational assets.
“But the question is: Will they respect the structure they are now coming to depend on?” he requested.
The NDC’s unveiling of its marketing campaign council and the OK Movement’s criticism spotlight the significance of organisation, coordination and grassroots attain within the unfolding contest for the presidency.
For the NDC, the fast problem can be to translate the expertise and political standing of its marketing campaign management into an efficient nationwide construction able to sustaining voter engagement and speaking its coverage proposals.
The OK Movement, on its half, is in search of to determine grassroots capability as a central measure of electoral preparedness, insisting that political organisations should reveal their capacity to organise and mobilise somewhat than rely solely on distinguished personalities.
Ughulu careworn that the motion was neither a brief platform for political endorsements nor an organisation established merely to applaud political leaders.
“The OK Movement is not a political decoration, a temporary support group, or an organisation that exists merely to applaud political leaders. We are a movement built on principles, driven by purpose, and determined to demonstrate what serious political organisation should look like,” he mentioned.
He added that management ought to be judged by the standard of preparation and the flexibility to ship outcomes, somewhat than the amount of political rhetoric.
“Leadership is not about who makes the loudest noise. Leadership is about who prepares, who organises, who builds, and who delivers when it matters most,” he mentioned.
Reaffirming the motion’s readiness for the electoral contest, Ughulu challenged different political organisations to reveal that that they had undertaken the mandatory groundwork to compete successfully.
“We have demonstrated our capacity. We have shown our commitment. We have done the necessary groundwork,” he mentioned.
He urged political actors nonetheless assembling their marketing campaign equipment to recognise the distinction between aspiring to political workplace and possessing the organisational capability to pursue that ambition.
“Let those who are only just waking up to the realities of election preparation learn from the difference between having political ambition and possessing the capacity to execute it,” he mentioned.
Ughulu concluded with a problem to political rivals: “The OK Movement is ready. The question is: Are they?”
