The Obi-Kwankwaso Movement, popularly known as the OK Movement, has demanded an immediate apology from the Nigeria Democratic Congress over comments by the party’s National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas, regarding its recently unveiled 59-member Presidential Campaign Council.
The movement also rejected what it described as attempts at intimidation, insisting that it remained an independent political organisation with its own leadership, structure and internal processes.
The National Secretary of the movement, Saadatu Sani, stated this in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday.
The development followed the NDC’s decision to dissociate itself from the campaign council unveiled by the movement on Thursday to mobilise support for the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
Cleopas, in a statement on Saturday night, said the campaign council did not emanate from the party and should therefore be disregarded.
He also warned that no individual, candidate or support group was authorised to constitute or announce a campaign structure in the name of the party without prior approval from its National Working Committee.
Reacting, Sani described the NDC chairman’s position as unfortunate and said it reflected a misunderstanding of the nature and independence of the OK Movement.
She urged Cleopas to familiarise himself with the NDC constitution before making assertions about the rights and responsibilities of the movement.
Sani said the movement would not be drawn into personal attacks or defamatory exchanges, adding that it would continue to educate the public and defend the principles upon which it was established.
She called on the NDC national chairman to withdraw what the movement considered defamatory statements and apologise to the OK Movement and its Director-General, Hon. John Ughulu.
The movement said it recognised the supremacy of political parties within their constitutional and statutory spheres and would campaign for Obi and Kwankwaso, as well as NDC candidates it chooses to support across the country.
However, it maintained that supporting the party and its candidates did not make the movement a subordinate structure of the NDC.
According to Sani, the movement has developed a nationwide grassroots structure with an internal database representing approximately 2.5 million registered members and coordinators.
She stressed that the OK Movement was not a temporary support group created solely for the 2027 elections, but an organisation with a long-term political vision.
Sani also rejected allegations concerning Ughulu’s involvement in the Lagos State primary, saying the movement welcomed the opportunity to put its position on the matter on record.
She reiterated that the movement would continue to defend its members whenever their integrity was questioned, while avoiding what she described as politics of personal insults, intimidation and defamatory exchanges.