The leadership of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has distanced itself from a 59-member presidential campaign council announced by the OK Movement, saying the structure did not emanate from the party.
The development has created a dispute over who has the authority to establish and announce an official presidential campaign structure in the name of the NDC. (Naija News)
Key Takeaways
- The OK Movement announced a 59-member presidential campaign council.
- The NDC said it was not involved in constituting or announcing the council.
- NDC National Chairman Cleopas Moses said the announcement should be disregarded.
- Moses said only the party’s leadership can constitute and announce an NDC presidential campaign council.
- The party warned individuals and support groups against creating structures in its name without approval from the National Working Committee (NWC).
- The NDC said support groups should work with the party rather than operate as parallel party structures. (Naija News)
In Brief
The OK Movement, described in the report as a support group for NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi and his running mate Rabiu Kwankwaso, recently unveiled a 59-member committee.
The committee reportedly included zonal and state coordinators as well as directors responsible for areas including mobilisation, women’s affairs, strategy, security and legal affairs.
However, NDC National Chairman Cleopas Moses subsequently rejected the announcement, saying the campaign council was not constituted by the party.
Moses said the party was distancing itself from the announcement and warned that no individual or group could establish an official campaign structure in the NDC’s name without the required approval. (Naija News)
What Happened?
The OK Movement announced a 59-member presidential campaign council comprising various coordinators and directors.
According to the report, the structure covered different areas of campaign organisation, including mobilisation, women’s affairs, strategy, security and legal affairs.
The announcement was subsequently rejected by the NDC leadership.
In a statement issued on Saturday, NDC National Chairman Cleopas Moses said the list did not come from the party and should not be regarded as an official NDC campaign council.
The party therefore publicly dissociated itself from the announcement. (Naija News)
Key Players
NDC Leadership
The NDC leadership is responsible for the party’s official organisational structures, according to National Chairman Cleopas Moses.
Cleopas Moses
Moses, the NDC national chairman, issued the statement rejecting the 59-member campaign council and explaining the party’s position on campaign structures.
OK Movement
The OK Movement is described in the report as a support group for Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso. It was the group that announced the 59-member committee.
Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso
The two politicians are identified in the report as the NDC presidential candidate and running mate respectively. The article does not state that either politician personally constituted the disputed council. (Naija News)
Official Confirmation: NDC Rejects The Announcement
Moses said the NDC was completely dissociating itself from the OK Movement’s presidential campaign council announcement.
He said:
“The party hereby dissociates itself in totality from the said OK Movement PCC announcement.”
According to Moses, the announcement did not originate from the party and should therefore be disregarded by the public and the media. (Naija News)
The chairman also stressed that NDC candidates are not independent candidates and remain subject to the authority and discipline of the party.
He said the authority to constitute and announce an official presidential campaign council rests with the party’s leadership. (Naija News)
Key Decisions: What The NDC Said About Campaign Structures
Moses warned members, candidates and support groups against announcing or operating political structures in the name of the NDC without approval.
He said no individual or group was authorised to announce, constitute or publish a campaign council, structure or organ in the party’s name without prior approval from the National Working Committee.
The statement therefore establishes the NDC’s stated position that support groups cannot independently create official party structures without the required party approval. (Naija News)
Moses also said the party would continue collaborating with support groups but warned them against regarding themselves as alternative or parallel organs of the NDC.
Background: The OK Movement’s 59-Member Structure
The OK Movement announced a 59-member committee comprising people assigned to different organisational responsibilities.
The reported positions included zonal and state coordinators and directors overseeing mobilisation, women’s affairs, strategy, security and legal affairs.
The group is described as a support organisation for Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso.
However, the NDC leadership has made clear that the support group’s announcement should not be treated as an official presidential campaign council of the party. (Naija News)
Fact Check: Is The 59-Member Council An Official NDC Campaign Council?
Not according to the NDC’s official position reported in the article.
The OK Movement announced the 59-member structure, but NDC National Chairman Cleopas Moses said the list did not emanate from the party.
He further stated that only the party’s leadership could constitute and announce an official presidential campaign council.
Therefore, the article should distinguish between:
What happened:
The OK Movement announced a 59-member campaign council.
What the NDC says:
The council was not constituted by the party and should be disregarded as an official NDC announcement.
What the supplied report does not establish:
That Peter Obi personally created or authorised the 59-member council.
That distinction is important because the available report identifies the OK Movement as the group behind the announcement. (Naija News)
Current Situation
The NDC has publicly distanced itself from the 59-member campaign council announced by the OK Movement.
The party has also warned that campaign councils, structures or organs cannot be announced in its name without prior approval from the National Working Committee.
At the same time, Moses said the party would continue working with support groups, provided they do not present themselves as alternative or parallel structures of the NDC. (Naija News)
Editorial Analysis
The dispute centres on the distinction between a political support group and an official party structure.
The OK Movement can support NDC candidates, but the NDC leadership’s statement makes a separate claim about organisational authority: support groups should not independently establish structures and present them as official organs of the party.
Moses’ statement therefore focuses less on the existence of support groups and more on who has authority to create and announce structures operating in the NDC’s name.
The supplied report does not provide a response from Peter Obi or Rabiu Kwankwaso concerning the NDC’s rejection of the 59-member council, so their personal positions on the dispute should not be inferred.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 59-member campaign council?
It is a 59-member committee announced by the OK Movement, with positions including zonal and state coordinators and directors responsible for different areas of campaign organisation.
Who announced the campaign council?
The OK Movement announced the 59-member committee.
Does the NDC recognise the 59-member council as its official presidential campaign council?
The NDC leadership, through National Chairman Cleopas Moses, said the council did not emanate from the party and should be disregarded.
What did Cleopas Moses say about the council?
Moses said the NDC was distancing itself completely from the announcement and that only the party’s leadership could constitute and announce a presidential campaign council.
Who has authority to constitute an NDC presidential campaign council?
According to Moses’ statement, the authority rests with the party’s leadership.
What did the NDC say about support groups?
The party said it would continue working collaboratively with support groups but warned them not to operate as alternative or parallel party structures.
Did Peter Obi personally constitute the 59-member council?
The supplied report does not establish that Peter Obi personally constituted the council. It identifies the OK Movement as the group that announced it.
What did the NDC say support groups should do if they have grievances?
Moses called on support groups and members to use the party’s internal mechanisms rather than resorting to public attacks. (Naija News)
Key Questions For Readers
- What distinguishes an official party campaign council from a support-group structure?
- Why did the NDC object to the OK Movement’s announcement?
- What authority does the NDC say its National Working Committee has over campaign structures?
- How can support groups work with a political party without becoming parallel party structures?
Official Follow-Up
The NDC’s stated position is that any campaign council or political structure operating in the party’s name must receive prior approval from the National Working Committee.
While the party said it would continue collaborating with support groups, it also made clear that such groups should not present themselves as alternative or parallel organs of the NDC.
For now, the 59-member council remains a structure announced by the OK Movement that the NDC leadership has publicly disowned as an official party campaign council.
