Obi-Kwankwaso movement says it operates without NDC funding

The Obi-Kwankwaso Movement has said it operates independently and does not receive financial support from Peter Obi, Rabiu Kwankwaso or the Nigeria Democratic Congress, according to its director general, John Ughulu. Ughulu made the position in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday. He said the movement’s organisational structure was based on its own principles and values and had not required funding from Obi, the NDC presidential candidate, or the party.

He also maintained that the movement’s recently announced 59-member Presidential Campaign Council remained valid and operational. The council has been rejected by some NDC leaders, who said only the party’s National Working Committee could establish a presidential campaign council. The dispute followed the NDC’s announcement that it had begun registering support groups ahead of the 2027 elections.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, said registration was free and would be handled only by the Directorate of Support Groups at the national headquarters in Abuja. Director said the decision followed reports that some state chairmen were demanding fees from support groups. He warned that state chapters and party officials were not authorised to register groups or collect money for the process, and that violators would face disciplinary action.

Ughulu said the movement did not claim superiority over the NDC, but had its own leadership and organisational framework. He argued that neither the Nigerian Constitution nor the NDC constitution automatically gave the party or its candidate control over an independent political organisation. He said the movement was willing to engage constructively with the party but would not abandon its identity or allow its structure to be dissolved.

Its position, he added, was intended to clarify institutional boundaries rather than create confrontation.