Headline

The Peter Obi Challenge: ‘Obidients’ vs ‘DisObidients’

Published

4 years ago

August 20, 2022

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

The way the pre-campaign awareness for the 2023 Presidential Election is going presently, it appears the next election is set to split the candidates along ethnic lines.

For the first time since the days of Alhaji Shehu Shagari, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and Chief Obafemi Awolowo in the Second Republic, Nigerians are once again faced with the unenviable assignment of selecting a president among three prominent personalities, each representing the three major tribes of the country, vis a vis Hausa/Fulani, Igbo and Yoruba. The candidates are Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

As a result, as it stands, and from all available statistics, Nigerians are set to again vote along ethnic lines as fireworks from the supporters of the candidates, who have apportioned appellations to themselves, are flying in different directions, striking anyone who stands in their way. While the Tinubu camp says they are Beatified, the Atiku team claim Articulated and Peter Obi supporters hold on to Obidients as their means of identification. These appellations has become a verifiable means of knowing the origin of most personality and system attacks.

But among the three Frontline camps, the Obidients of Mr. Peter Obi seems to be the most vocal, especially on social media platforms as they boast of very young people, who are up and mobile, and have greater access to social media handles.

The Peter Obi (supporters) ‘obidients’ have laid more vocal claim to the presidency, arguing that their candidate has a better agenda for Nigerians, relying on the candidate’s promise of taking back Nigeria and giving it back to the youths. This has made it easy for youths, cutting across creed, who lament marginalisation, to identify with the group, much touted as a movement. The group has however, been accused of intolerance, unaccommodating and in most cases violent, by members of the batified and aticulated, most of whom has responded albeit violently as well.

But as it is, the fight has been narrowed between the ‘Obidients’ and a collection of everyone not under the Obidients umbrella, and better classified as ‘disobidients’. This group can also refer to the Batified and Atikulated.

Though none of the candidates can boast of hundred percent votes of their ethnic groups, the candidate, Peter Obi, has continued to encounter and throw up challenges that seem to put not only his rivals on their feet, but also give the generality of Nigerians a thorough sense of competition, and an opportunity to chart a new course and depart from the old ways. But Obi is facing more challenges as regards his candidature, and so are his Obidients. Among Obi’s challenges are the claims that he is an offshoot of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), and that he is clamouring to actualize the Biafran mandate. This claim has been propounded and portrayed by no less individuals in the society including Mr Sam Omatseye, chairman, editorial board of the Nation Newspaper, owned one of the candidates, Bola Tinubu, in a lampoon he titled Obi-tuary; Reno Omokri, a former aide of former President Goodluck Jonathan and Segun Awosanya, also known as Segalink among others.

Peter Obi is also facing the challenge of being dismissed as running to become an Igbo president by a cross section of persons, who are miffed by his candidature, and the quantum of followership he has amassed within a short period, especially in the social media.

But the major challenge before him is the fact that most of the prominent politicians of Igbo extract are yet to queue behind him in the quest to defeat the two other heavyweights, and wrestle the presidency from the APC-led government.

Speaking in one of the interviews he granted a television station, a former Chairman of the PDP, Anambra State chapter, Dan Ulasi, dismissed Peter Obi’s chances of winning the election, arguing that Obi’s candidature will open up avenue for Tinubu to carry the day.

Ulasi reasoned that as at the present, no prominent Igbo man has identified with Obi and his cause because they believe it is not worth it. He mocked Obi, saying he has no plans to win the votes of the northerners since only the votes of the southeast cannot make him win the election, more so, as the Labour Party failed woefully in the just concluded Osun governorship election

Ulasi said: “The danger of what he is doing is that if our people accept to vote for him, it is equivalent to voting for Tinubu…because to touch a core part of PDP which is the South-East, and they vote for Peter Obi. If there is no way that vote leads us to victory, it is an advantage for Tinubu to win. I don’t see the hard core of APC where it is going to touch. The first election happened in Osun, they failed woefully. The vote you will get in Lagos will be core Ibo votes. They may be up to 20-25 percent. You can mark today’s date and see what the Yorubas will do when it’s time to vote because it is becoming tribal, and every group is now defending their person. If we assume we will defend Peter, where would it lead us to? We would be removed more from the government. We will not be part of the system. But in PDP, not only is Atiku positive for us, he has married an Ibo woman, who has about 4 or 5 children for him. And there is an adage in Ibo land that says ‘your in-law is your god’. This means that once you marry a woman from Ibo land, you are part of us. Also, he has a vice-presidential candidate who is a brilliant medical doctor, a former senator; from Asaba who is a core Ibo boy.

“My people say if your cow is running away, at least if it’s the tail you caught, cut it and hold it. This will tell you; that you still have part of the cow. Looking at APC, we have no touching point at all.

“I spoke to about three governors before coming to Abuja, and I told them that for the sake of our people, they (the five Igbo governors) should call Peter Obi to a meeting, and let him reveal the things he knows that we don’t know. He should explain how he will use our votes to get the vote of other parts of the world to win. And I am asking our 15 Senators from the East to call Peter Obi, and let him tell us how he will win. This is not about personal. Presidency is not a personal issue.”

It is therefore obvious that much as Nigerians may likely vote along ethnic, or religious lines, the battle line is drawn between between the Obidients and the rest of the voters, otherwise unofficially known as disobidients. It is basically a race between those that prefer Peter Obi and those that do not.

But one thing is imperative; the campaigns, programmed to commenced in September, will surely prop up issues and merits under which each each candidate will be sold to the Nigerian voting public.

Headline

Obasanjo Knocks Tinubu’s Govt over Inability to Protect Lives, Property

Published

2 days ago

April 27, 2026

Eric

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has lambasted the administration of President Bola Tinubu over insecurity bedeviling the country.

In an interview with News Central, Obasanjo said any government that cannot protect lives and property of its citizens has no basis to exist.

The former leader was reacting to the recent wave of insecurity, which has confronted Nigeria, resulting in the killing of several citizens and abduction of others.

“Let me tell you, the government that cannot give security of life and property of its citizen has no right of existence.

“The elected members of our National Assembly have no right to fix their own salary and their own emolument.

“It’s not in our constitution for them to do that. It’s the revenue mobilization and allocation commission that should do it,” he said.

Headline

2027: NDC Woos Obi, Kwankwaso with Presidential Ticket

Published

2 days ago

April 27, 2026

Eric

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has offered its presidential ticket to Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso ahead of the 2027 elections, signaling intensifying efforts to forge a united opposition as key political deadlines approach.

In a post on X on Sunday, the party indicated a two-week window for both politicians, currently linked to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), to defect and secure its platform’s presidential ticket.

“All we need right now. Just all we need. Two weeks to deadline,” the NDC said, accompanying the message with an image of Obi and Kwankwaso and the caption: “Nigeria will be OK.”

The development comes amid renewed calls for opposition consolidation ahead of the next general elections. Supporters of both men recently launched the “OK Movement”, aimed at mobilising support for a possible joint ticket.

Organisers of the movement have begun setting up national, zonal and State structures, suggesting early groundwork for a broader political alliance.

However, the ADC is currently grappling with internal divisions that could affect its participation in the elections. The party is facing a leadership crisis, with competing factions contesting control of its structure.

The dispute is now before the Supreme Court of Nigeria, which has reserved judgment in an appeal arising from the leadership tussle.

The uncertainty comes as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) maintains its timetable for the 2027 polls, setting May 30, 2026, as the deadline for political parties to submit membership registers and nominate candidates.

Opposition parties, including factions of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), have called for an extension of the timeline, arguing that the schedule is too tight given ongoing internal restructuring and legal disputes.

The NDC’s offer highlights the shifting dynamics within Nigeria’s opposition landscape, where alliances remain fluid and negotiations are ongoing.

Both Obi and Kwankwaso are influential political figures with significant regional support bases, and any alignment between them could reshape the balance of power ahead of the elections.

INEC has yet to indicate whether it will adjust its timetable, as preparations for the 2027 general elections continue to gather momentum.

Headline

Atiku Raises Alarm over Alleged Plot to Disenfranchise Northern Voters

Published

3 days ago

April 26, 2026

Eric

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has expressed concern over reports that the Senate is considering the suspension of political campaigns in eight Northern states under the pretext of rising insecurity.

Atiku, in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, described the development as deeply troubling and fraught with dangerous implications for Nigeria’s democracy.

He noted that while insecurity remains a serious national challenge that must be confronted decisively, it must never become a convenient justification for undermining constitutional rights or selectively restricting democratic participation.

“Let it be clearly stated: the right to vote and participate in the electoral process is fundamental and cannot be abridged under any guise. Any attempt—whether deliberate or disguised—to suppress political activities in parts of Northern Nigeria raises legitimate concerns about disenfranchisement,” Atiku said.

The Waziri Adamawa recalled that credible intelligence had earlier pointed to possible plans to weaken electoral participation in key Northern states, warning that recent developments appear to be lending credence to those fears.

“This is not merely about campaigns; it is about representation, inclusion, and the integrity of our democratic process. You cannot cure insecurity by silencing the voices of the people. Democracy must not become a casualty of government failure,” he added.

The former Vice President stressed that the people of Northern Nigeria, like all Nigerians, deserve both security and full participation in the democratic process — not one at the expense of the other.

He added that it is the responsibility of government to provide security for its citizens, while it remains the duty of citizens to freely exercise their civic rights without fear, intimidation, or unlawful restriction.

“At a time when citizens are already battling hardship and insecurity, the least the government can do is to guarantee their right to be heard — not to restrict it. Any policy that creates the impression of targeted exclusion will only deepen distrust and national division,” he warned.

He called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, security agencies, and the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately clarify their position and reassure Nigerians that no region will be denied its constitutional rights.

“Nigeria must never descend into a situation where elections are shaped by exclusion, fear, or administrative manipulation. The consequences of such actions are far-reaching and better imagined than experienced,” Atiku cautioned.

He urged all stakeholders to uphold the principles of fairness, equity, and national unity, emphasising that democracy must remain inclusive, transparent, and credible across every part of the country.