The Obidient-Kwankwaso (OK) Movement has rejected claims that it requires the personal approval of any individual within the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) to carry out its organisational activities, insisting on its independence and established internal processes.
The movement’s National Secretary, Saadatu Sani, stated this in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja, while responding to comments attributed to the NDC National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas.
Sani urged Cleopas to familiarise himself with the NDC constitution before making assertions concerning the movement’s activities.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the OK Movement, on Thursday, unveiled a 59-member presidential campaign council headed by John Ughulu as National Director-General and Sani as National Secretary.
However, the NDC, in a statement issued on Saturday, distanced itself from the purported campaign council and urged members of the public to disregard it.
Reacting to the development, Sani acknowledged the supremacy of political parties within their constitutional and statutory spheres but maintained that the OK Movement remained an independent organisation with its own leadership structure and internal processes.
She affirmed that the movement would campaign for the NDC’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates, as well as other party candidates it had resolved to support.
“The OK Movement does not require the personal validation or approval of any individual before exercising its legitimate organisational functions in accordance with established processes,” she said.
Sani said the movement was established from the grassroots and did not depend on sponsorship from any individual or political office holder to conduct its activities.
She added that the organisation was not seeking political appointments or positions within the NDC as a condition for its support, stressing that its principles remained its guiding values.
According to her, the movement has developed a nationwide grassroots structure, with internal membership records indicating approximately 2.5 million registered members and coordinators, supported by relevant data.
Sani described the OK Movement as a long-term political organisation rather than a temporary support group established solely for an election cycle.
“ We speak for Nigerians who are demanding a better political system, economic opportunity, accountability and a government that places citizens at the centre,” she said.
The National Secretary also addressed allegations concerning Ughulu and his alleged involvement in the Lagos State primaries, saying the matter required clarification.
She stated that the movement would continue to defend its members whenever their integrity was questioned but would not engage in personal insults or defamatory exchanges.
Sani called on the NDC National Chairman to withdraw statements considered defamatory and apologise to the OK Movement and Ughulu.
“The OK Movement will not compromise its standards. The OK Movement will not surrender its independence. The OK Movement will not be intimidated,” she added.
She reiterated that the movement’s core principles—organisational independence, accountability and commitment to long-term national objectives—remained non-negotiable.
