Leaders Obidient Movement have alleged that the move to create an Obidient Directorate within the Labour Party was aimed at undermining the popularity of the party’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi.
The leaders stated this while publicly denouncing the Labour Party’s recent decision to establish an Obedient Directorate.
Recall that as part of repositioning efforts, the Labour Party announced the establishment of the Obedient Directorate and appointed Marcel Ngogbehei as Director, Aju Elumelu as Deputy Director (Diaspora), and Mariam Ismaila as Deputy Director.
The move, spearheaded by Labour Party national chairman Julius Abure and announced in late May, was met with opposition from the Obidient Movement, which claims it is an attempt to usurp its grassroots-driven force.
The statement was signed by 39 leaders of Obident movement, some of whom are Mubarak Bawa (The Obidient Conveners Collective); Kevin Jakpor, Director-General Peter Obi Support Network (POSN); Ekene Nwakuche, Co-Convener Like Minds for Peter Obi (LMPO); Hon. Justin Kingland, Convener, Nigeria Needs Peter Obi (NNPO)
Some others are Dr. Ebere Obiesie, Convener, Women for Peter Obi (WPO); Jude Akhidenor, Founding Member, Super Influencers for Peter Obi.
In a statement titled, “We Vehemently Reject Julius Abure’s Attempt to Usurp the Obidient Movement”, the leading conveners of the Obidient Movement, who said they represent 261 support groups, expressed outrage and unequivocal rejection of the new directorate.
They noted that the movement remains an independent entity which played a critical role in reviving the Labour Party’s political fortunes.
“We, the leading 261 conveners of the Obidient Movement support groups, are compelled to issue this statement, rejecting Julius Abure’s brazen attempt to co-opt the Obidient Movement by creating an ‘Obedient Directorate’ within the Labour Party,” they said.
The Obidient Movement recounted that in 2019, they rallied around the candidacy of Peter Obi, and gained significant momentum in 2022 when Obi announced his presidential ambitions.
They stressed that their alignment with the Labour Party was solely a result of Obi’s candidacy and not due to any inherent loyalty to the party itself.
“The Obidient Movement predates Peter Obi’s entry into the Labour Party and is a global force far more potent than the Labour Party, which had not seen electoral success since Olusegun Mimiko’s 2007 governorship win in Ondo,” they noted.
The statement highlighted the movement’s contributions to the Labour Party’s recent electoral successes, including securing seven Senate seats, thirty-five House of Representatives seats, and the presidency for Peter Obi. However, the leaders accused Abure and his party of failing to protect these victories.
“The Labour Party had one job in the 2023 elections: to protect the votes and secure the victory achieved by the Obidients. On this simple task, Julius Abure and his party failed spectacularly—failing Peter Obi, failing the millions of Obidients worldwide, and failing Nigeria’s future generations,” the statement said.
They added that the creation of the directorate and the appointment of individuals without consulting Peter Obi or the core movement as an overreach.
The leaders described it as an attempt to control the movement that had brought new vitality to the party, calling the initiative a “ludicrous scheme” and a “destructive plot.”
The Obidient Movement’s conveners described the move as “ludicrous” and a ploy orchestrated by forces with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“This ludicrous scheme, no doubt concocted within the corridors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)—whose president and cronies are desperate to undermine Peter Obi’s popularity and the unstoppable force of the Obidient Movement—is doomed to fail,” they stated.
The conveners called on Abure to abandon his plans and engage in sincere dialogue with the true stakeholders of the movement.
“We categorically reject the creation of an Obidient Directorate within the Labour Party. We explicitly reject the appointment of a charlatan like Marcel Ngogbehei to any position of authority within the movement. We call on Julius Abure to halt this destructive plot and engage in sincere dialogue with the true stakeholders of the Obidient Movement, starting with His Excellency Peter Obi,” they said.