Anambra State Chairman of the Obidient-Kwankwaso Movement (OK Movement), Dr Tim Egboka, has charged newly appointed coordinators of the movement to strengthen its grassroots structures across the state ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Egboka gave the charge during an inaugural meeting in Awka, as newly appointed state, zonal and local government coordinators.
He urged the leaders to move beyond political rhetoric and enthusiasm by building functional structures across Anambra’s 21 local government areas, 326 wards and polling units.
“When leaders are leading from the front, followers will easily follow. You people should lead by example,” Egboka said.
He said the immediate priority was to harmonise existing structures and ensure that the movement had committed and capable members at the grassroots.
According to him, coordinators should focus on recruiting people based on commitment and capacity, rather than simply pursuing high membership figures.
“This is time to work,” he said, urging the leaders to make the necessary sacrifices to establish effective structures across the state.
The meeting held in Awka, the state capital, also focused on efforts to bring together various support groups associated with Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso.
Egboka said representatives of groups, including the Obidient Movement, Kwankwasiya, Village Boys, COPDEMN and Grassroots Alliance had been consulted as part of the coordination process.
He said the objective was to create a unified grassroots network that would work with the NDC ahead of the 2027 elections.
“All the support groups have been brought together to work with the party so that we can collectively win the 2027 general election in the state,” Egboka said.
The effort comes amid organisational questions surrounding the relationship between the OK Movement and the NDC, particularly over the role and independence of the movement’s structures.
Speaking at the event, NDC chairman in Anambra State, Hon. Ikem Uzoezie, urged supporters of Obi and Kwankwaso to formalise their participation by joining the party at the ward level.
“You cannot say that you are supporting Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso’s emergence as President and Vice-President without being a member of NDC at the ward level,” Uzoezie said.
He specifically urged members interested in serving as polling-unit agents to register with the party, noting that the compilation of agents was already underway at the ward level.
Uzoezie also emphasised the importance of grassroots participation, saying that he attends ward and local government meetings despite serving as the state chairman.
Uzoezie further called on supporters to back the party’s candidates across the ballot rather than limiting their support to the presidential ticket.
He said supporters should work for Obi and Kwankwaso as well as candidates contesting for the Senate, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly.
“What we are doing now is not just to win the election for Peter Obi in Anambra,” he said.
He argued that a presidential administration would require legislative support to implement its programmes and therefore urged members to avoid selective voting.
In his own contribution, Prof. Pat Obi, leader of Associates of Peter Obi and the Obidient Movement, urged the newly appointed coordinators to place the broader political project above personal interests.
He called for unity among the various support groups and encouraged their leaders to combine their human and organisational resources.
Obi said the coordinators were selected on the basis of character and competence, challenging them to justify the confidence placed in them.
He tasked the new coordinators, among other things, to strengthen grassroots structures, recruit committed members, register supporters, prepare polling-unit personnel and maintain coordination from the state level to the wards and polling units, ahead of the 2027 general election.
