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The Labour Party 2023 presidential torchbearer, Peter Obi's supporters, otherwise known as Obidients, have started making moves to ensure the downfall of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.
The supporters, under the aegis of the Obidients Movement, vowed to surpass their efforts in the 2023 election to push their candidate into the Aso Rock Villa.
The group made the pledge at the conference of the All Obidient Forum, organised by the Delta Obidient Elders’ Council in Asaba, the Delta state capital, on Saturday, November 30, 2024.
The state chairman of the Delta Obidient Elders’ Council, Chief Chris Biose, who delivered a welcome address, thanked all Obidients nationwide and in the diaspora for their heroic role, individually and collectively, in various support groups.
He expressed appreciation to the Obidient youths across political divide, who engaged in the mobilisation leading to the defeat of the entrenched APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta during the last presidential election.
“On behalf of the Obidient Movement, I heartily thank all the Obidients nationwide and in the Diaspora for the heroic role we played individually in various support groups.
“It was so remarkable that other political parties could not believe their eyes when the Obidients garnered over 10 million votes for Mr. Peter Obi within a few months of campaigning.
“On behalf of the Delta Obidient Elders’ Council, I have the great honour to warmly welcome to Asaba our vibrant Obidients from all 25 local government areas of Delta State, as well as leaders of the Movement from across the country.
“It is time to prepare to re-enact the magic of 25 February 2023 with greater intensity and finality. The electorate that supported Mr. Peter Obi is still here—disappointed, but still desirous of good governance. How do we re-enlist them in the struggle for a New Nigeria?
“From its beginning, the Obidient Movement was made up of thousands of spontaneous and enthusiastic support groups that greeted Mr. Peter Obi’s entrance into the presidential race.
“The movement had no leadership hierarchy or formal organisational structure. This time around, Mr. Peter Obi has wisely appointed an interim national coordinator for the Obidient Movement in the highly respected Dr. Tanko Yunusa, and we encourage all Obidients to take advantage of this significant step.
“I urge all Obidient support groups to work as a team for the achievement of the objective that was rudely and crudely denied us in February 2023. We will do even more than we did in the 2023 election.
“Obidients is not just about protest marches or online media activism. They are concerned with key issues of the National Question. Bearing in mind the ruthlessly exploitative and anti-people ethos of the Nigerian ruling class, Obidients yearn for a New Nigeria. This entails dismantling the political structure that sustains the present system of electoral, political, social, and economic injustice in Nigeria,” Biose said.
Joining the conference via Zoom, Obi highlighted the importance of early mobilisation, noting that the theme of the event, 'Reawakening and Harmonising the Obidient Movement for a New Nigeria,' is particularly timely, given the country's current economic challenges.
Other participants who spoke via Zoom, including Prof. Pat Utomi, Delly Ajufo, Chris Iyovwaye, and Dr. Yunusa Tanko, lamented the economic impasse and called on the youths to mobilise early.