2027: Obi-Kwankwaso Movement Unveils 59-Member Campaign Council

The Obi-Kwankwaso Movement has activated a nationwide campaign structure for the 2027 general elections.

To this end, it has unveiled a 59-member Presidential Campaign Council covering the six geopolitical zones, the Federal Capital Territory and all 36 states.

The council brings together zonal and state coordinators alongside directors responsible for key areas.

These areas include mobilisation, women affairs, strategy and planning, security and intelligence, legal affairs, administration and information technology.

The movement’s Director-General, John Ughulu, has been named Director-General of the campaign council, while its National Secretary, Saadatu Sani, is also part of the leadership.

The six zonal coordinator positions went to Suleiman Abubakar for North-Central, Hashimu Dungurawa for North-West, Amadu Gwambe for North-East, Adebayo Adefolaseye for South-West, Christopher Ighodaro for South-South and El-Shaddai Ikeh for South-East.

The appointments extend the movement’s organisational reach to the grassroots, with coordinators also designated for the 36 states and the FCT.

Other members include Sabo Gashua, Director of Grassroots Mobilisation; Glory Adayi, Director of Women Affairs; Kabir Yahaya, Director of Contact and Engagement; Abdumumini Tijjani, Director of Mobilisation; and Yusuf Mani, Director of Special Duties.

Peace Daful was appointed Director of Procurement, while Prof. Charles Nwekeaku will oversee the South-East Town Hall and Sunmisola Adebayo will head Information Technology.

Kingdom Okere is to serve as Director of Legal Affairs, Abiodun Dabiri as Director of Strategy and Planning, Richard Enemona, a retired CSP, as Director of Security and Intelligence, and Aisha Abdulrahaman as Director of Administration.

Sani, in a message to the newly appointed officials, said the assignments carried responsibilities beyond the formal designation of positions.

“Your selection is not merely an appointment; it is a call to duty, sacrifice, leadership and service to Nigeria,” she said.

She charged the appointees to work collectively to communicate the vision and policies of the movement’s principals, Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso, across the country.

Sani said their immediate responsibility was to take the movement’s message beyond the national and state structures to local government areas, wards and communities.

The unveiling comes as the movement maintains that it will operate as an independent support organisation rather than merge with another political group ahead of the 2027 elections.

The position was reaffirmed at a national leadership summit in August, where the group also backed Ughulu’s continued leadership as its founder and Director-General.

The development follows months of efforts by the movement to establish national and state structures around the political project associated with Obi and Kwankwaso.

In April, the movement announced plans for nationwide mobilisation, presenting its platform as an organisation seeking to unite supporters across regional, ethnic and religious divides ahead of the 2027 elections.

The group has since expanded its organisational activities, including grassroots mobilisation in different parts of the country.

The campaign council’s unveiling also comes days after the movement condemned the reported disruption of Obi’s convoy during his visit to Benue State and called for an impartial investigation into the incident.

Daily Trust reports that the unveiling marks another stage in the political realignment of Obi and Kwankwaso, who are now running on the same presidential ticket after contesting the 2023 election separately.

Obi was the Labour Party candidate in the 2023 presidential election, while Kwankwaso contested under the NNPP.

Their parties had held discussions over a possible joint ticket before the arrangement collapsed, leaving the two politicians to pursue separate presidential bids.

Their political paths converged again ahead of the 2027 election after both became involved in efforts to build a broader opposition platform.

They later joined the Nigeria Democratic Congress, with Obi emerging as the party’s presidential candidate and Kwankwaso as his running mate.

The joint ticket is now formally reflected in INEC’s final list of presidential candidates for the 2027 election, which names Obi as the NDC presidential candidate and Kwankwaso as his vice-presidential candidate.