The Obi-Kwankwaso (OK) Movement has urged political parties to prioritise grassroots mobilisation, strategic planning and organisational capacity ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, arguing that campaign appointments must be backed by functional structures that reach voters across the country.
The movement’s National Director-General, John Ughulu, made the call in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday. He said effective electioneering required early preparation, coordinated mobilisation and sustained engagement with voters beyond the appointment of prominent political figures to campaign councils.
Ughulu said political organisations needed to establish strong networks at the community level and develop strategies capable of reaching voters across states, local government areas and polling units.
He added that the movement had prioritised organisational development and grassroots coordination as part of its preparations for the forthcoming elections.
According to him, political ambition alone was insufficient without the structures and personnel needed to mobilise supporters, coordinate activities and maintain contact with voters throughout the electioneering period.
The OK Movement is a political coalition associated with support for Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso. It has established national and state structures and announced its own 59-member Presidential Campaign Council in September to coordinate mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections.
Ughulu’s remarks come amid a disagreement between the movement and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) over campaign organisation and the role of independent political support groups.
NDC National Leader Seriake Dickson has argued that support groups should complement the party’s official campaign machinery rather than establish parallel structures that could compete with it. The movement, however, maintains that it is an independent political organisation with its own leadership and mobilisation networks.
The disagreement highlights questions about how political parties and affiliated movements will coordinate campaign activities as preparations for the 2027 elections intensify.
Ughulu reiterated that the movement would continue strengthening its grassroots networks and organisational capacity, maintaining that effective election campaigns require sustained preparation, strategic coordination and direct engagement with communities.
The call places renewed emphasis on the organisational work required to translate political support into voter participation, including building local networks, communicating policy proposals and maintaining engagement beyond major campaign events.
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