Obidient-Movement Rejects Labour Party’s Establishment Of ‘Obedient Directorate’ (View Details)

 Obidient-Movement Rejects Labour Party’s Establishment Of ‘Obedient Directorate’ (View Details)

The leadership of the Obidient Movement has strongly rejected the Labour Party (LP)’s recent establishment of an ‘Obedient Directorate’. In a statement released late Sunday in Abuja, the movement issued a disclaimer co-signed by Mubarak Bawa, representing the Obedient Conveners Collective, which includes 223 Peter Obi Support Group Conveners, Barr. Daniel Elomba, Co-Convener of the Peter Obi Support Network (POSN), and 37 others.

This response came after the National Chairman of the LP, Julius Abure, announced the creation of the directorate to oversee the party’s affairs, aiming to reduce tensions and restore confidence among stakeholders. The Labour Party, as part of its repositioning strategy, appointed Marcel Ngogbehei as Director, Aju Elumelu as Deputy Director (Diaspora), and Mariam Ismaila as Deputy Director.

However, the leaders of the Obidient Movement were infuriated by the LP’s decision to formalize the Obedient Directorate and integrate its members into the party’s framework, viewing it as an overreach and criticizing the appointment of individuals without consulting Peter Obi or the movement’s key figures. They perceived this move as an effort to undermine their grassroots-driven movement.

The statement from the leading conveners of the Obidient Movement, representing 261 support groups, titled “We Vehemently Reject Julius Abure’s Attempt to Usurp the Obidient Movement,” firmly rejected the offer extended by the Labour Party. They emphasized that the movement began as an autonomous coalition of support groups, which played a crucial role in rejuvenating the political prospects of the Labour Party.

The statement partly read, “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 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 leaders categorically rejected the creation of an Obedient Directorate within the Labour Party and the appointment of Marcel Ngogbehei, whom they labeled a charlatan with a history of corruption. They asserted that the Obidient Movement recognizes only Peter Obi as its leader and called on Julius Abure to halt this “destructive plot” and engage in sincere dialogue with the true stakeholders of the Obidient Movement, starting with Peter Obi.

The leaders condemned the LP leadership’s move to establish a directorate, viewing it as an attempt to control the movement that had revitalized the party, and denounced it as a “ludicrous scheme” and a “destructive plot.”