The Directorate of Mobilization and Integration (DMI), led by its Director-General, Marcel Ngogbehei, has commenced consultations on possible new political and institutional alliances ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The move followed a national strategy session held virtually on Friday, September 18, 2026, where the DMI reviewed the lingering crisis within the Labour Party, ongoing leadership litigation and the organisation’s strategic direction ahead of the elections.
The meeting, themed “DMI Updates, State of the Nation & Strategies for 2027,” was attended by more than 150 state coordinators from the 36 states through Google Meet, while another 55 participants joined via the organisation’s WhatsApp platform.
Ngogbehei, a pioneer organiser of the Obidient Movement and former chairman of the Coalition for Peter Obi (CPO), presided over the session.
In a communiqué issued after the meeting, the DMI reaffirmed its identity as a citizen-led governance initiative established to promote public engagement, civic participation, grassroots mobilisation and accountability.
The directorate said its mission was to bridge the gap between citizens and the decisions, institutions and political leaders that affect their lives, stressing that participation in governance should extend beyond elections.
DMI clarifies relationship with Labour Party
The organisation also clarified its relationship with the Labour Party, describing it as a strategic partnership aimed to strengthen governance and electoral impact rather than an organisational merger.
According to the DMI, the partnership was brokered by the party’s National Chairman, Julius Abure, and developed from the relationship between the Labour Party and the Obidient Movement following the 2023 elections.
It recalled that the collaboration was facilitated in 2022 when Ngogbehei served as chairman of the Coalition for Peter Obi, culminating in the Labour Party/CPO Leadership Summit held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, on August 11, 2022.
The summit brought together Peter Obi, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, late Doyin OKUPE, Abure, Labour Party candidates, presidential campaign officials and support groups.
The DMI said the engagement represented an important stage in the development of cooperation between the Labour Party under Bar Julius Abure leadership and the Obidient Movement led by Ngogbehei ahead of the 2023 general elections.
It stressed, however, that its identity, membership, structures and mission remained distinct from the internal affairs of the party.
DMI questions implications of Labour crisis
The strategy session also examined the prolonged leadership crisis within the Labour Party involving Abure, Senator Nenadi Usman, Peter Obi and Abia State Governor Alex Otti.
Participants reviewed disagreements surrounding party leadership, internal processes and zoning, as well as the implications of the dispute for grassroots members and volunteers who supported the party during the 2023 elections.
The DMI argued that the crisis had weakened a political platform into which ordinary Nigerians had invested time, resources and expectations.
It also examined Obi’s subsequent movement to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), questioning how the zoning arguments advanced during the Labour Party dispute should be viewed against the political arrangement that subsequently emerged within the NDC.
The directorate noted that while zoning had been cited as one of the factors contributing to the Labour Party crisis, the NDC had also departed from the same principle, alleging that its National Leader, National Chairman and presidential candidate were all from the southern part of the country.
The DMI described the situation as a matter requiring further discussion, particularly in relation to the principles advanced during the Labour Party dispute.
Three scenarios on leadership litigation
On the ongoing litigation over the Labour Party leadership, the DMI identified three possible scenarios.
These include a Supreme Court decision restoring Abure to the party leadership, a decision affirming Usman’s leadership, or a ruling reaffirming the limits of judicial intervention in internal party affairs and leaving outstanding issues to party processes or further proceedings before the appropriate courts – leafing to another merry go round circle of judicial confrontation.
According to the directorate, each scenario could have implications for party administration, competing structures, candidate nominations and preparations for the 2027 elections.
It expressed concern that prolonged uncertainty could affect the Labour Party’s preparations but said its nationwide structure should not remain suspended while awaiting the resolution of litigation involving the leadership of a party with which it had a strategic partnership.
The DMI therefore resolved to maintain organisational continuity and prepare for different lawful outcomes while respecting binding court decisions and applicable electoral laws.
Against the backdrop of the developments, the strategy session unanimously mandated Ngogbehei and his leadership team to explore new political and institutional alliances ahead of 2027.
The DMI also expressed readiness to sustain its strategic relationship with the Julius Abure-led Labour Party National Executive Committee (NEC), while inviting the party leadership to participate in consultations on broader partnerships involving other political parties and institutions.
It stressed that the invitation did not amount to a declaration of a new alliance.
Rather, the proposed consultations are intended to identify possible areas of cooperation in response to changing political circumstances and the interests of DMI members and volunteers.
The directorate said it remained willing to work with the Abure-led Labour Party where their objectives align, while simultaneously exploring relationships with other political and institutional stakeholders.
The meeting also received an update on the DMI’s nationwide organisational structure.
According to a report presented at the session, the directorate has more than 500 state and FCT coordinators, averaging about 15 coordinators per state and the Federal Capital Territory, as well as more than 11,000 coordinators across Nigeria’s 774 Local Government Areas.
Each coordinator has been mandated to recruit at least 10 core operational team members.
The DMI said the framework represented a potential nationwide mobilisation and recruitment network of approximately 120,000 coordinators and core team members, with verification of the expanded structure ongoing.
The organisation stressed that the network was built through the commitment of citizens and volunteers and should therefore remain a citizen-participation resource rather than the property of any political party, faction or individual.
The directorate said the sacrifices and contributions of its coordinators and volunteers would remain central to decisions on its future direction.
It also thanked Abure for his support and described him as a party chairman who had remained committed to the Labour Party project despite the internal challenges facing the organisation.
It added that the experience of the Labour Party crisis had reinforced the importance of building citizen institutions capable of preserving their mission even when political parties and individual leaders change direction.
The directorate concluded that its mission was broader than any single party partnership and pledged to preserve its nationwide network, promote citizen participation in governance and ensure that the efforts of its coordinators and volunteers continue to serve the public interest.
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