Obidients Disown Labour Party’s Newly Formed ‘Obedient Directorate,’ Insist on Independence

The leadership of the Obidient Movement has publicly disavowed the Labour Party’s (LP) decision to establish an ‘Obedient Directorate,’ insisting on maintaining their independence from the party’s formal structure.

In a statement issued late Sunday and jointly signed by Mubarak Bawa of the Obidient Conveners Collective, Barr. Daniel Elomba of the Peter Obi Support Network (POSN), and 37 others, the movement expressed strong disapproval of the Labour Party’s recent organizational changes.

National Chairman of the LP, Julius Abure, had recently announced the formation of the directorate, appointing Marcel Ngogbehei as Director, Aju Elumelu as Deputy Director (Diaspora), and Mariam Ismaila as Deputy Director. This move aimed to integrate the Obidient Movement into the party’s framework and coordinate its activities more effectively.

However, the leaders of the Obidient Movement, representing 261 support groups, perceived this as an overreach and an attempt to undermine their grassroots efforts. In a strongly worded statement titled, “We Vehemently Reject Julius Abure’s Attempt to Usurp the Obidient Movement,” they reaffirmed their stance as an independent entity.

The statement underscored the movement’s pivotal role in revitalizing the Labour Party’s political fortunes, noting, “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 movement criticized the Labour Party’s performance in the 2023 elections, accusing the party of failing to protect votes and secure the victory achieved by the Obidients. They labeled the creation of the directorate and the appointment of Ngogbehei as a “ludicrous scheme” and a “destructive plot” orchestrated by elements within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The statement further disparaged Ngogbehei, describing him as a “discredited figure with a history of corruption,” and emphasized that the movement only recognizes Peter Obi as its leader.

In conclusion, the Obidient Movement leaders demanded that Julius Abure halt the establishment of the Obedient Directorate and engage in sincere dialogue with the movement’s true stakeholders, starting with Peter Obi. An official response from the Labour Party was still pending at the time of this report.