With 81 days to the January 16, 2027 presidential elections, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) is enmeshed in a fresh crisis over the composition of its presidential campaign council.

The NDC on Sunday unveiled its national campaign council, appointing Ibrahim Abdulkarim as its Director-General and the NDC National Secretary, Ikenna Enekweizu, as the council’s secretary.

Under the structure, the NDC National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, will serve as the chairman of the council; the presidential candidate, Peter Obi, will serve as co-chairman; Senator Cleopas Moses Zuwoghe (NDC National Chairman) is the vice-chairman, while Rabiu Kwankwaso, the party’s vice-presidential candidate, is the co-vice chairman.

The council also features prominent figures including former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, heading the National Advisory Council, former Deputy Senate President Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, Pat Utomi, and Buba Galadima.

No sooner had the NDC unveiled its council than the OK (Obi-Kwankwaso) Movement launched an attack on the party, saying the list casts serious doubt on the party’s readiness for the upcoming general elections.

Analyst say for the NDC to get its acts right ahead of the elections, it must clearly define the extent of how the diehard supporters of their presidential and vice presidential candidates could influence decisions.

In a statement issued in Abuja, Director-General of the OK Movement, John Ughulu, criticised the NDC leadership for dragging its feet in mobilising its electoral machinery, warning that political ambition without ground-level coordination portends defeat.

“With less than three months until the general elections, they are only just announcing their Presidential Campaign Council,” Ughulu said. “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?”

Taking a jab at the composition of the campaign list, Ughulu boasted that the OK Movement had already completed the heavy lifting required for victory, predicting that the party elite would soon seek assistance.

The fresh wave of criticism underlines a widening rift between the NDC leadership and the OK Movement over control and campaign strategy for Obi and his running mate, Kwankwaso.

The OK Movement had, in September, unveiled a 59-member Presidential Campaign Council comprising zonal and state coordinators, as well as directors overseeing various aspects of the campaign, but the party dissociated itself from the list, saying a support group did not have the right to constitute a campaign council for the party.

The resultant friction in the internal workings of the party is yet to abate, with the movement objecting to the naming of a national campaign council by the party on Monday.

Names of prominent members of the movement were omitted from the council, including that of Ughulu and the OK Movement’s network of state, local government and ward coordinators.

National leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Henry Seriake Dickson (4th left); NDC presidential candidate, Peter Obi (middle); his running mate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso (4th right); members of the National Working Committee (NWC) and party leaders during the opening ceremony of the party’s new national secretariat and campaign office in Jabi, Abuja yesterday

Why the rift persists

The fresh wave of criticism, party members say, exposes a widening chasm between the NDC leadership and the OK Movement.

The exclusion of the OK Movement leadership from the council is linked to the bitter dispute over the movement’s decision to establish its own independent presidential campaign council.

The move was previously dismissed by the leader of the party, Dickson, as “unheard of” and “nonsensical,” with the party insisting that support groups must complement official party structures rather than run parallel operations.

Despite the friction, Ughulu remained defiant, asserting that the party’s official machinery cannot bypass the grassroots networks built by the movement.

“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 added.

Reinforcing the group’s independence, Ughulu asserted that the OK Movement would never settle for being a ceremonial support outfit.

He emphasized that the movement’s true strength rests in its formidable organisational capacity and unwavering commitment to the Obi-Kwankwaso presidential mandate.

“Leadership is not about who makes the loudest noise. Leadership is about who prepares, organises, builds, and delivers when it matters most,” Ughulu declared. “The OK Movement is ready. The question is: are they? Nigeria will be OK.”

Dickson had maintained that the NDC would work with support groups but expected them to function within their proper roles.

Ughulu, however, insisted that the OK Movement is an independent political organisation, not merely a conventional support group, and would not surrender its national, state, local government and ward structures to the NDC or any other organisation.

The OK Movement director-general argued that elections are won through sustained grassroots mobilisation, strategic planning and effective coordination rather than prominent names on campaign councils.

“Elections are not won by titles, press releases, political noise, or the number of big names on a campaign council. Elections are won through grassroots mobilisation, effective coordination, strategic planning, committed people, and a well-established structure that reaches every polling unit,” he said.

The politician maintained that the movement had recognised the importance of grassroots organisation long before the electioneering season and was better prepared to mobilise voters.

With the appointment of Babachir Lawal to the campaign council, there are fears that it may escalate the growing friction in the Adamawa chapter of the NDC following his rejection by the governorship candidate of the party, Aisha Binani and other party candidates over his appointment as the party’s North-East leader last month.

Though the party promised to call the two for a reconciliation meeting, it is not clear at press time how far it has gone in this regard.

Ossai Director, the party’s Publicity Secretary, did not respond to calls put across to him on the latest stand of the OK Movement.

However, a chieftain of the party told our correspondent that the movement went too far by setting up a presidential campaign council even before the political party.

“A support party must not go that far, but the party leadership should have also included some of the leaders of the movement in the NDC campaign council in the spirit of reconciliation.

“This, the party failed to do and it shouldn’t be so,’’ he said.

The OK Movement was formally unveiled in Abuja on April 20, 2026, by supporters of Obi and Kwankwaso ahead of the 2027 general elections. Its emergence followed growing uncertainty within the opposition coalition, particularly over the choice of a presidential candidate capable of challenging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The organisers described it as a coalition bringing together supporters of the Obidient Movement, Kwankwasiyya, the NNPP and the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Justin Ijeh was named its National Publicity Secretary, while the group announced plans to establish structures across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The initial idea was to build a common political platform capable of combining Obi’s reform-oriented appeal with Kwankwaso’s grassroots political machinery.

Prof Ochefu rejects NDC appointment

Professor of Economic History and Strategic Studies at Rev. Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu University, Makurdi, Prof. Yakubu Ochefu, has rejected his purported appointment to the National Campaign Council of the NDC, clarifying that he is not a member of the political party.

Ochefu, in a statement, said he was neither consulted before the inclusion of his name in the campaign list circulating on social media nor did he grant consent for the appointment.

The academic—who serves as National Chairman of the Association of Nigerian Universities Alumni (ANUA) and President-General of Ochetoha K’Idoma—emphasised that his leadership roles require strict non-partisanship, given that the memberships of both organisations span diverse political affiliations.

He said, “My attention has been drawn to a list circulating on social media, titled ‘Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) National Campaign Council’, which names me as a member of its National Campaign Caucus.

“I wish to inform the public that I am not a member of the NDC and have never been. I was not consulted before my name was included, nor did I give consent. I have written to the Chairman of the Council to decline the appointment and to request that my name be withdrawn and a revised list published.

“As National Chairman of the Association of Nigerian Universities Alumni, ANUA, and President-General of Ochetoha K’Idoma, I lead organisations whose members cut across all political parties. These offices require me to remain non-partisan, and I intend to honour that obligation.

“I thank all who reached out for clarification, and ask that you disregard the list insofar as it concerns me.”

‘Campaign council crisis may affect election coordination’

A political analyst and lecturer at the Kano State College of Arts, Science and Remedial Studies, Dr Kabiru Sa’idu Sufi, warned that the crisis over the composition of the NDC Presidential Campaign Council could undermine coordination and effectiveness of the party’s campaign ahead of the 2027 elections.

He said the disagreement between the party leadership and the presidential camp could result in parallel campaign structures operating without proper coordination.

According to him, there is a likelihood that both the presidential team and the party would run separate campaign coordination mechanisms.

“If you look at the composition of the campaign itself, there is a possibility that we will have parallel coordination. While the presidential team is having its own coordination, the party may also be having its own coordination,” he said.

He said the absence of synergy between the two camps could affect the organisation of campaigns.

“For now, the party has rejected the composition of their own candidates, and the presidential team has also rejected the composition of the party’s campaign council.

“So, I think there may be no synergy, there may be no coordination, and as such, it may affect the organisation of the campaign,” he added.

The analyst described the disagreement as a reflection of the party’s inability to fully unite after the emergence of its presidential candidate.

He said the development was not entirely surprising, arguing that similar disputes had occurred in previous political platforms associated with Obi, the Labour Party.

“I think it shows that the party has not been able to close ranks since the emergence of the presidential flag bearer. It is not something entirely new and we have seen similar situations in the past,” he said.

Sufi noted that the NDC should have learned from previous experiences and addressed internal differences before the campaign season.

“But it seems no lesson was learned, and what we are seeing now is a repeat of some of the issues that affected campaign coordination in previous elections,” he said.

On whether reconciliation between the party and the OK Movement was still possible, the analyst expressed optimism, saying dialogue remained the best option.

“If they can come together and sort out their differences, it will be better for them and they may be able to achieve something positive,” he said.

He, however, cautioned that failure to resolve the dispute could continue to hamper effective coordination of campaign activities.

Sufi dismissed suggestions that external forces might be influencing the crisis, insisting that the problem stemmed largely from internal misunderstanding.

“I don’t think there is any external influence. It does not seem as if either of the sides is being controlled from outside. I think it is simply a matter of lack of synergy and cooperation, and the issue is continuing along that line,” he said.

NDC declares N8.53bn revenue

Meanwhile, the party has revealed that it generated approximately N8.53 billion in total inflows, expended about N2.40 billion, and retained a balance of approximately N6.13 billion to fund its ongoing political operations.

Presenting the report, the NDC National Treasurer, Dr. Peter Onigah, stated that the leadership had exercised strict financial discipline to safeguard resources entrusted to the party.

Onigah explained that the party’s financial operations were guided by experienced party officials, advice from national leaders, and the National Working Committee (NWC).

Onigah appealed to party members and the general public for sustained financial backing, noting that the NDC is still constructing its organisational structures and has not secured power at any government level.

“As a new party, we don’t have people in government yet. All of us are outside the government. So we need to contribute and ensure that our party will prevail and achieve the desired objectives,” he added.

Reacting to the presentation, Senator Victor Umeh commended the party’s leadership for transparency and for maintaining a N6.13 billion balance.

Who is NDC DG, Ibrahim Hussain Abdulkarim?

With the release of the NDC campaign list ahead of the 2027 general elections, all eyes are on Alhaji Ibrahim Hussain Abdulkarim, who was appointed as the Director-General of the party’s presidential campaign council.

Abdulkarim is described as a businessman, public-sector advisor and political strategist, representing a modern, data-driven approach to political mobilisation in Nigeria.

Born on October 14, 1976, in Sokoto State to the family of Alhaji Hussain Abdulkarim, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography at Bayero University, Kano (BUK). He later specialised in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), spatial data management, and technology-driven development solutions.

He serves as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of EasyGIS Nigeria Limited, a pioneering technology firm specializing in Geographic Information Systems, data management, information systems architecture, and business process improvement.

Between 2019 and 2021, he served as the Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Efficient Land Administration, Urban Planning and Development, and Improving Revenue Generation and Collection in the Nasarawa State Ministry of Land and Urban Development.