The Nigeria Democratic Congress has given its 2027 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, a role in selecting key officials of the party’s Presidential Campaign Council ahead of the general elections.
Under the arrangement announced by the party, Obi and Kwankwaso will nominate the Director-General, Deputy Director-General for the North, campaign spokesman, deputy spokesman, Head of New Media, Finance Director, Deputy Finance Director and other members of the campaign council.
The nominations, however, are expected to be made in consultation with the NDC leadership. The development was disclosed as the party said it was in advanced consultations towards constituting and inaugurating its formal Presidential Campaign Council.
The latest position comes days after a disagreement between the party and the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement over a separate 59-member campaign council announced by the support organisation.
On September 18, the OK Movement unveiled a 59-member structure comprising coordinators across the six geopolitical zones, the Federal Capital Territory and the 36 states, as well as directors responsible for areas including mobilisation, women affairs, strategy, security and legal affairs.
The movement named John Ughulu as Director-General and Saadatu Sani as secretary of the announced council. However, the NDC subsequently dissociated itself from the structure, saying it had not been authorised by the party.
NDC National Chairman, Moses Cleopas, said only the party leadership could formally constitute and announce the party’s Presidential Campaign Council. He also warned candidates and support groups against establishing structures in the party’s name without approval from the National Working Committee.
The OK Movement rejected the position, insisting that it was an independent political organisation with its own leadership and internal processes. Its national secretary, Saadatu Sani, said the movement did not require the personal approval of any individual within the NDC to conduct its organisational activities.
The latest arrangement announced by the NDC appears to distinguish between the formal campaign machinery of the political party and the activities of independent support organisations backing the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket.
According to the party, the formal campaign council will be constituted through consultations involving the NDC leadership, Obi and Kwankwaso. The party also said the inauguration of the council, earlier planned for the first week of September, was postponed, with the presidential candidate’s travel schedule cited among the reasons.
The development is expected to precede the formal launch of the NDC’s 2027 presidential campaign structure as political parties and their candidates begin preparations for the next general election.
The dispute over campaign structures has also highlighted questions about the relationship between political parties and support groups operating around presidential candidates. While the NDC has maintained that party authority governs its official campaign organs, the OK Movement has maintained that its independent organisational activities do not require individual approval from party officials.
The NDC’s latest announcement places Obi and Kwankwaso directly in the process of selecting several senior campaign officials while retaining consultation with the party leadership as part of the process.
