February 02, (THEWILL) – Against the backdrop of the growing advocacy for coalitions or alliances among opposition political leaders in the country, ahead of the 2027 General Election, the reorganisation of the ‘Obidient’ Movement could not have come at a better time.
One of the central figures in this ongoing political strategy is the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi.
On Thursday, the former Anambra State governor approved a new structure for the ‘Obidient’ Movement globally.
National Coordinator, ‘Obidient’ Movement, Dr Tanko Yunusa, who confirmed this approval, said the movement wants to build on its past successes as the next step towards consolidation.
“The Obidient Movement started as an amorphous organisation with no leadership or coordination. Now, we are restructuring the movement as an organisation with His Excellency, Peter Obi as the leader. I am only coordinating. We need a leader to revert to. He (Obi) needs to know the people he is working with and the organisation he is leading,” Yunusa told THEWILL on Friday.
For context, Yunusa likened the movement to the Peoples Democratic Movement, PDM, a pan-Nigeria political movement led by the late former Chief of Staff, Gen Shehu Musa Yar’Adua and which later formed the backbone of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in 1998 and the Kwankwasiyya Movement led by former Kano Governor, Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso, Presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the 2023 general election.
“Obidient’ Movement cuts across political parties. It is a structure meant to build and coordinate activities of the ‘Obidient’ movement worldwide. That way, we would not be running across purposes. If and when the decision about 2027 is to be taken, it will be an organisational decision,” Yunusa said in response to THEWILL’s questions relating to the 2027 general elections.
DECISION RATTLES LP LEADERSHIP
Although Yunusa declined to comment on the likely impact of this new development on the Labour Party that is still reeling from a leadership crisis, THEWILL learnt that the decision to reorganise the Obidient movement has unsettled some of the key leaders of its National Working Committee, NCW.
Indeed, he was appointed coordinator of the movement in August 2024 with little or no action until last week when he had to compile a list of its members and got Obi’s approval before the announcement. THEWILL recalls that on the verge of the 2023 general poll, members of the movement were encouraged to join the LP and some rose within the ranks quite fast. They are currently elected members of the party. Even so, many remained non-partisan, holding on strongly to the ideal of the movement as a platform for the enthronement of their own democratic vision of society, represented by the personality of the former governor.
The relationship between the movement and the LP, therefore, remained symbiotic. The eight sub-committees into which the advisory council was broken touched every aspect of organisational structure that make up a political party. They are Operations (Admin, events and programs, security/intelligence, human resources and capacity development); Political Engagement; Mobilisation and membership. (Recruitment, Grassroots Projects); Research, policy development and strategy; Finance, fundraising, resource mobilisation and accountability; Legal and constitutional affairs. Technology and data management/analysis. Communications. Diaspora Engagement. National Assembly.
So, when the announcement was made last Wednesday, the first reaction by even Obidient members within the ranks of the LP was first, one of disbelief and then public protest.
The reaction of Hilda Dokubo, Chairperson of the party in Rivers State, symbolised this reaction. On the night of that Wednesday after the announcement made headlines during the day, she expressed concerns about divisive actions within the party, emphasising the need for unity and reconciliation.
In a brief statement, she said, “My attention has been drawn to a list making the rounds on social media, purportedly by a group, the Obidient Movement Advisory Council, wherein my name was listed as a member of the Supporting Advisory Council. I need to state clearly that I was not consulted by the organisers of the group before my name was included in the said list.
“I must also state clearly that I am the Chairman of the Labour Party in Rivers State under the leadership of Barrister Julius Abure. I can, therefore, not take on the burden of becoming a member of the Supporting Advisory Council of the Obidient Movement Advisory Council.”
However, Yunusa claims she was consulted. “The truth is that Dokubo was consulted. I spoke with her a few minutes before the membership list was announced. She gave reasons why she needed to lie low now. But in her statement, she has shown where her loyalties lie. We are all Labour Party people.”
Still, her statement did not go down well with the leaders and members of the party in Rivers State. In a statement signed by organising secretary and spokesperson of the group, Gogo Wellington, which was obtained by THEWILL, the leaders and members of the party in the state said they were dissociating themselves from her statement and pledged support for Peter Obi and Chairman of the Caretaker committee of the party, led by Senator Esther Nenadi Usman.
Wellington said, “We remain resolute and committed to the vision of our leader, Peter Obi and the Chairman of the Labour Party Caretaker Committee, Senator Nenadi Esther Usman. We are well aware of the nocturnal relationship and transactions between Hilda Dokubo and Julius Abure which saw to her emergence as caretaker chairman of the party in Rivers State. The Labour Party and Obidient Movement in Rivers State is way bigger than one individual’s thing, hence Dokubo’s position changes nothing about the position of the members of the Labour Party and the Obidients in Rivers State.”
Efforts to reach the Spokesperson of the LP, Obiorah Ifoh, were unsuccessful. Repeated messages and phone calls to his phone were not answered or returned.
BACKGROUND TO LATEST DEVELOPMENT
The leadership crisis in the LP took a new turn a fortnight ago when the 29-member caretaker committee headed by Senator Nenadi Usman rejected the Appeal Court ruling that affirmed Julius Abure as National Chairman.
The caretaker committee, established by Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, the Nigeria Labour Congress and Obi to reconcile aggrieved members, said it would head to the Supreme Court for final arbitration on the matter, warning Abure to stop parading himself as the party’s national chairman.
Governor Otti, NLC and Obi had set up the committee to manage the affairs of the party after they kicked against the Abure-led NWC, which held on to power following their re-election at a national convention in March 2024.
According to Senator Usman, despite the court ruling, the committee remains in charge of the party’s affairs by virtue of the mandate entrusted to them by party stakeholders at an emergency convention held in Aba in September, 2024.
Nevertheless, Abure’s victory at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, also validated the party’s March 2024 national convention held in Nnewi, Anambra State.
Presiding Justice of the Appeal Court, Hamma Barka, said a previous judgement delivered on November 13, 2024, in Appeal Number CA/Abj/CV/1172/2024 between the Labour Party (appellant) and Chief Olusola Ebiseni, alongside the Independent National Electoral Commission as respondents, was still relevant.
Ruling on two separate appeals filed by Senator Esther Usman, the caretaker committee and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the appellate court held on January 17, 2024 that the LP’s leadership issues were not justiciable.
It ruled that any action taken outside its jurisdiction was null and void. Consequently, the judgement of the Federal High Court, delivered on October 8, 2024, by Justice Emeka Nwite, was deemed invalid and subsequently struck out.
At a meeting of national chairman of political parties with the Chairman of INEC, Mahmood Yakubu, in Abuja last week, Abure told journalists that he was sure that all the members and leaders of the LP will put aside their differences and once again speak authoritatively with one voice and come out stronger and very effective in the political space. “There is no political party without some differences; it is a game of interests, and there will always be conflicting interests in every political environment,” he said.
ALL EYES ON 2027
With the Abure-led NWC planning to hold wards congresses this month, and the Senator Usman National Caretaker Committee’s continued assertion of their authority, the leadership crisis in the party will continue to fester, making it difficult for Obi to forcefully pursue his presidential bid on the LP platform as the politics of 2027 gathers momentum.
According to a dependable party source, the lingering leadership crisis in the party is affecting Obi’s position on ongoing political discussions towards the forthcoming 2027 general election, even as he is quietly working with other leaders to bring the warring parties to the conference table.
The source expressed support for the party’s idea to organise ward congresses because of the local government elections that will be held in some states in the country, adding that the party needs to be present in all the wards in the country ahead of the 2027 polls.
“This is also the reason behind the approved new structure for the ‘Obidient’ Movement. We need to be present in all the wards and units across the country. By the second to last quarter of the year when political activities are expected to increase, we would be waiting to see some new directions and receive instructions from Obi. For now, he has said nothing about the political direction of the movement,” the source said on condition of anonymity.
The only public political statement indicating Obi’s outlook for 2027, is his remark on the sidelines of a two-day national conference on strengthening democracy in Nigeria held last Monday in Abuja.
The former Anambra governor who is said to have held alliance talks with former Vice President of Nigeria and presidential candidate of the PDP in 2019 and 2023, Atiku Abubakar, told journalists – “I have not and will never advocate any coalition or alliance that does not prioritise the welfare and progress of the ordinary Nigerian. Any discussion about governance must be centred on what it means for everyday Nigerians and how it will address critical issues, such as access to quality healthcare and education and pulling people out of poverty. Leadership must be about service, not self-interest. As I have always maintained, a new Nigeria is possible.”
Amos Esele is the Acting Editor of THEWILL Newspaper. He has over two decades of experience on the job.
