2027: Ngogbehei’s DMI Seals Alliance With Pro-Tinubu Movement

The Directorate of Mobilisation and Integration (DMI), led by Marcel Ngogbehei, a pioneer organiser of the Obidient Movement, has entered into an alliance with the Tinubu Must Stay (TMS) Movement ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The agreement was reached during a meeting in London between Ngogbehei and Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, described by DMI as the founder of TMS and a member of President Bola Tinubu’s Campaign Council.

According to a statement by DMI, the alliance was ratified by its National Executive Committee at an emergency meeting on Sunday, October 11, 2026. The TMS Board also approved the partnership.

The development marks a new political direction for DMI, which participated in grassroots mobilisation for Peter Obi ahead of the 2023 general elections.

Ngogbehei was also a former chairman of the Coalition for Peter Obi (CPO) and worked with the Labour Party during the mobilisation that preceded the 2023 elections.

DMI said the alliance followed its national strategy session on September 18, where members authorised its leadership to explore new political and institutional partnerships amid the prolonged crisis within the Labour Party.

Explaining the decision, the organisation said it wanted greater scrutiny of political alternatives amid calls for Tinubu to leave office.

It argued that while opposition parties and groups had the right to criticise the president, they should also explain their proposed policies, how they would be funded and how they would address the challenges facing Nigerians.

“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.”

During the London meeting, the two men reportedly discussed the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms, diaspora investment, infrastructure development and human capital initiatives, including 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).

In a statement after the meeting, Ngogbehei thanked Abdullahi for the discussions, saying they provided insights into the administration’s policy direction and development agenda.

DMI also announced plans to establish a permanent civic-accountability programme to assess political promises, proposed solutions, funding arrangements and their impact on citizens. It said the initiative would continue beyond the 2027 elections.

The organisation claimed to have more than 500 state and Federal Capital Territory coordinators and over 11,000 local government area coordinators nationwide.

Ngogbehei said the alliance would open a new chapter in DMI’s engagement with 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 the two organisations would begin coordinating public engagement and policy-related activities ahead of the 2027 elections.