From Premium Times Nigeria · Abdulqudus Ogundapo · · 3m
2027: Obidient Movement members quit group, endorse Tinubu
Obidient Movement members abandon group, endorse Tinubu for 2027 presidency.
In brief
Obidient Movement members abandon group, endorse Tinubu for 2027 presidency. Obidient Movement members quit their group, change name to Batified Obidients, and endorse Tinubu for 2027 presidential election. Originally reported by Premium Times Nigeria.
Obidient Movement members quit group
Some members of the Obidient Movement, a group that championed Peter Obi’s Labour Party presidential bid in the 2023 election, have endorsed President Bola Tinubu as their preferred candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
Change name to Batified Obidients
As part of their decision to support Mr Tinubu, the members announced they would change the name of their group from Obidients to Batified Obidients and adopt the All Progressives Congress (APC) as its political…
Adopt APC as political platform
The group adopted the All Progressives Congress (APC) as its political platform for the 2027 elections, shifting support from Peter Obi’s Labour Party to President Tinubu.
Adesina Fagbenro-Byron speaks
![National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu. [PHOTO CREDIT: Official X handle of Mr Ribadu | https://x.com/NuhuRibadu/status/1706387205881581715?s=20]](https://i0.wp.com/media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2024/02/Nuhu-Ribadu-NSA.jpg?w=1883&ssl=1)
Adesina Fagbenro-Byron, a former director of Operations of the Obidient Movement, spoke on behalf of the group, saying its members concluded that Mr Obi, now seeking the presidency under the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), lacks…
Obi lacks leadership capacity
Mr Fagbenro-Byron said the group had come to the conclusion that the demands of governing Nigeria were beyond Mr Obi’s preparedness.
Untapped volunteer resources
He also accused Mr Obi of failing to utilise the expertise and resources of professionals who volunteered their time and skills to support his presidential campaign.
Not motivated by bitterness
Mr Fagbenro-Byron added that the group’s decision was not motivated by bitterness but by its assessment of Mr Obi’s leadership capacity.
Why backing Tinubu
The group acknowledged the economic hardship, insecurity, corruption and challenges facing Nigeria’s education and healthcare systems under Mr Tinubu’s administration.
Tinubu’s reforms producing results
However, they said that the president’s reforms were gradually producing positive results, including the removal of petrol subsidies and increased allocations to states.
Economic indicators improving
Mr Fagbenro-Byron referenced the removal of the petrol subsidy, increased allocations to state and local governments, a decline in debt servicing as a share of revenue, stronger foreign reserves and easing inflation as evidence of…
Electricity Act and financial autonomy
He also referenced the Electricity Act, which allows states to establish their own electricity markets, and the Supreme Court’s affirmation of local government financial autonomy as examples of reforms it considered significant.
Student loans and fertiliser production
Mr Fagbenro-Byron further pointed to the federal government’s student loan scheme and the expansion of local fertiliser production as measures it said could support economic development.
Endorse Tinubu for second term
The group said it would mobilise voters and campaign for the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections, endorsing Vice-President Kashim Shettima for a second term alongside Mr Tinubu.
Mobilisation for Tinubu
They pledged to reach out to former members, undecided voters and other Nigerians to seek competent and inclusive governance.
Focus on states where opposition won
The group also pledged to increase the president’s electoral support, particularly in states where opposition candidates defeated him in the 2023 election.
Some members joined other parties
Mr Fagbenro-Byron acknowledged that not all former Obidient supporters would join the new movement, noting that some had aligned with the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the NDC or the Labour Party.
What matters most
Obidient Movement members quit their group, change name to Batified Obidients, and endorse Tinubu for 2027 presidential election.
