...insist on independence
The leadership of the Obidient Movement has disowned the Labour Party (LP)'s recent decision to establish an 'Obedient Directorate'.
The movement issued a disclaimer in a statement jointly signed by Mubarak Bawa, for Obidient Conveners Collective Comprising 223 Peter Obi Support Group Conveners, Barr. Daniel Elomba Co-Convener, Peter Obi Support Network (POSN) and 37 others, in Abuja, late on Sunday.
Recall, the National Chairman of the LP, Julius Abure, had in a move aimed at dousing tensions and rebuilding confidence of other stakeholders in the party announced the formation of the directorate to coordinate its affairs.
As part of its repositioning efforts, the Labour Party announced the establishment of the Obedient Directorate. It appointed Marcel Ngogbehei as Director, Aju Elumelu as Deputy Director (Diaspora), and Mariam Ismaila as Deputy Director.
The Labour Party's move to formalise the Obidient Directorate and integrate its members into the party structure angered the Obidient Movement's leaders. They viewed the creation of the directorate and the appointment of individuals without consulting Peter Obi or the core movement as an overreach.
However, the group leaders denounced the party's decision arguing that it was an attempt to usurp its grassroots-driven force.
In a statement titled, "We Vehemently Reject Julius Abure's Attempt to Usurp the Obidient Movement", leading conveners of the Obidient Movement, representing 261 support groups, rejected LP's offer.
The statement emphasised the movement's origins as an independent body of support groups which played a critical role in reviving the Labour Party's political fortunes.
It read in part, "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.
"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."
The statement further said, "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."
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The leaders of the various support groups described the move by the LP leadership 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."
In response to Abure's decision to establish the directorate and appoint Marcel Ngogbehei as its director, 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 leaders criticised Ngogbehei's appointment, labelling him a discredited figure with a history of corruption, and emphasised that the Obidient Movement recognises no leader other than Peter Obi.
"Ngogbehei's attempts to portray himself as 'The Obidient Leader' are laughable. The Obidient Movement recognises no leader other than Peter Obi. Ngogbehei, a grifter with a tainted past, is not, and will never be, a figure of influence within our ranks."
For emphasis, the Obidient Movement leaders added , "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." An official response was still being awaited as at the time of filing this report.
