2027: Egboka Tasks Obi/Kwakwanso Movement Leaders With Grassroots Practical Mobilisation in Anambra
By Chukwudi Ebele
“The message was simple: leaders must lead from the front.”
That was the central charge from the Anambra State Chairman of the Obidient-Kwankwaso Movement, Dr. Tim Egboka, as the group began the process of building its grassroots structure across the state ahead of the 2027 elections.
Speaking in Awka on Thursday, September 24, at the inaugural meeting of newly appointed state, zonal and local government coordinators, Egboka challenged the leaders to move from speeches and political enthusiasm to practical organisation.
“When leaders are leading from the front, followers will easily follow. You people should lead by example,” he said.
Egboka said the movement’s immediate assignment was to harmonize and strengthen their structures across all 21 local government areas, wards and polling units in Anambra.
He urged coordinators to recruit people based on commitment and capacity rather than simply pursuing large membership figures.
“This is time to work,” he said, calling on the leaders to make the sacrifices required to build functional structures at the grassroots.
The meeting also brought into focus the effort to coordinate different support groups associated with Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso.
Egboka said groups including the Obidient Movement, Kwankwasiya, Village Boys, COPDEMN and Grassroots Alliance had been consulted as part of the process.
The stated objective is to transform the different support networks into a coordinated grassroots structure working alongside the NDC.
“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 development comes as the relationship between the OK Movement and the NDC has become an important organisational issue ahead of the election, with recent national-level reports highlighting disagreements over the role and independence of the movement’s structures.
‘Join the party at ward level’
NDC Anambra Chairman, Rt. Hon. Ikem Uzoezie, told the coordinators that political support needed to be matched by formal participation in the party.
“You cannot profess 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,” he said.
Uzoezie particularly urged members interested in becoming polling-unit agents to register with the party, saying the compilation of agent lists was already taking place at ward level.
He described grassroots participation as a responsibility, noting that he personally attends ward and local government meetings despite being the state chairman.
‘No selective voting’
Uzoezie also called for coordinated support for NDC candidates across the ballot.
He said supporters should work not only for Obi and Kwankwaso but also for the party’s candidates for the Senate, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly.
“What we are doing now is not just to win election for Peter Obi in Anambra,” he said.
He argued that the presidential ticket would require legislative support to implement its programme, urging members to avoid selective voting.
Pat Obi: Character and competence matter
Prof. Pat Obi, leader of Associates of Peter Obi and Obidient Movement, brought another dimension to the meeting, urging the newly appointed leaders to resist the temptation to place personal interests above the wider political project.
He called for unity among the various support groups and urged leaders to combine their human and organisational resources.
Obi said the selection of coordinators was based on character and competence and challenged those appointed to prove worthy of the confidence placed in them.
His intervention placed emphasis not merely on mobilisation numbers but on the quality of leadership responsible for converting those numbers into a functioning political structure.
The meeting ultimately produced a straightforward assignment for the new coordinators: build structures, recruit committed members, register supporters, prepare polling-unit personnel and maintain coordination from the state level down to the grassroots.
The real test, however, will be whether the enthusiasm of the inaugural meeting can be converted into an effective organisational network before the 2027 elections.
