Ngogbehei's DMI Joins Forces With Tinubu Must Stay Ahead of 2027
A political organisation led by Marcel Ngogbehei, a pioneer organiser of the Obidient Movement, has thrown its weight behind an alliance with the Tinubu Must Stay (TMS) Movement as the 2027 general elections draw closer.
The group, the Directorate of Mobilisation and Integration (DMI), finalised the arrangement when Ngogbehei met with Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi in London. DMI describes Abdullahi as the founder of TMS and a member of President Bola Tinubu's Campaign Council.
Ratification came from two sides, according to a DMI statement. Its National Executive Committee approved the partnership during an emergency session on Sunday, October 11, 2026, while the TMS Board also gave its consent.
For DMI, the move represents a redirection of its political energy. The group had been part of grassroots mobilisation for Peter Obi before the 2023 general elections. Ngogbehei also once chaired the Coalition for Peter Obi (CPO) and collaborated with the Labour Party during the mobilisation that came before that election.
DMI traced the alliance to a national strategy session held on September 18, at which members granted the leadership room to pursue fresh political and institutional partnerships. The prolonged crisis inside the Labour Party was cited as a factor behind that decision.
In explaining its reasoning, the organisation called for closer examination of what political alternatives actually offer, at a time when some are demanding that Tinubu vacate office.
It maintained that opposition parties and groups are free to criticise the president, but should equally spell out the policies they propose, where the money would come from, and how they would respond to the difficulties Nigerians face.
"If Tinubu must go, what exactly is the alternative?" DMI asked.
The organisation added: "Government must account for its record. The opposition must account for its alternatives. Nigerians deserve both."
Discussions between the two men in London reportedly covered the Tinubu administration's economic reforms, diaspora investment, infrastructure development and human capital initiatives. Specific programmes mentioned included the Three Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme, Digital Literacy for All (DL4ALL), technical and vocational education and training (TVET), and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
Ngogbehei issued a statement after the meeting in which he appreciated Abdullahi for the talks, saying they gave him useful insight into the administration's policy direction and development agenda.
DMI further disclosed that it intends to launch a permanent civic-accountability programme. The initiative, according to the group, will examine political promises, proposed solutions, funding arrangements and the consequences for citizens, and will not end with the 2027 elections.
The organisation says it has more than 500 coordinators spread across the states and the Federal Capital Territory, plus over 11,000 local government area coordinators nationwide.
According to Ngogbehei, the partnership opens a fresh phase in DMI's work on national development, public policy and citizen participation.
"Our alliance with the Tinubu Must Stay Movement is about encouraging that conversation. Opposition is a democratic right, but credible alternatives matter," he said.
DMI said both organisations will start coordinating public engagement and policy-related activities in the run-up to the 2027 elections.
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