The chief spokesman for the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Organisation, Yunusa Tanko, has emphasized the movement’s autonomy during an interview on Channels Television’s programme The Morning Brief on Friday.
Tanko clarified that the Obidient Movement transcends any political party affiliation, including the Labour Party and its 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
He highlighted the movement’s commitment to holding all political entities, including its own candidates, accountable to their values.
Tanko stated, “It’s bigger than the Labour Party. It is so because it is a move of its own that has a life of its own. What they are interested in is good governance. Even if the Labour Party is doing something wrong, they can challenge it. Let me go further. Even His Excellency [Peter Obi], if he does something that is not aligned with good governance, we would challenge it. They are loyal to the messages that connect to good governance and Peter Obi is championing that particular good governance.”
This assertion came amid controversy over the Labour Party’s recent establishment of a Directorate of Obidient Affairs, which was met with significant criticism.
Peter Obi himself addressed the issue on his X page on Wednesday, distancing the Obidient Movement from any single political party.
He wrote, “There may be a youth mobilization directorate in political parties, but the Obidient Movement is far beyond a particular political party. The Obidient Movement is a diverse and inclusive collective that transcends traditional political, religious, and ethnic affiliations. It is not domiciled within any particular party or headquartered in any particular part of the country.”
Following the backlash, the Labour Party responded by renaming the controversial directorate. On Thursday, the party’s spokesman, Obiorah Ifoh, announced the new name in a statement: “Following the controversies arising from the creation of the Directorate of OBIDIENT Affairs, in the party, the Directorate is hereby renamed the Directorate of Mobilisation and Integration. The inauguration will take place on Saturday, June 8, 2024, at the party’s National Secretariat, Utako, Abuja, by 10 a.m. Party members and the general public should take note.”