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.
The members, who adopted a new name, “Batified Obidients”, announced their decision at a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday.
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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 the capacity to lead Nigeria.
Mr Fagbenro-Byron said the group had come to the conclusion that the demands of governing Nigeria were beyond Mr Obi’s preparedness.
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“Looking back with clear eyes, we have come to see that the demands of leading a country as complex and demanding as Nigeria may have been beyond what Mr Peter Obi was prepared for. This is not to say he did not try, or that his intentions were not sincere. But it became clear to those of us inside the campaign that he was, in many ways, out of his depth without fully realising it,” he said.
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.
“He did not seem to recognise the extraordinary resource of volunteers around him — professionals who had willingly offered their time, skills, and expertise, eager to help build something better. That vast pool of talent was largely left untapped. The opportunity was there. It was not seized,” he said.
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Mr Fagbenro-Byron added that the group’s decision was not motivated by bitterness but by its assessment of Mr Obi’s leadership capacity.
“We say this not with bitterness, but with a measure of sympathy for a man who found himself in a role for which he was not fully equipped, and who may not have understood how much support was within his reach. We gave him the opportunity. We gave him the encouragement. Some of us provided the resources. What we could not give him was the capacity he did not have,” he said.
Why the group is backing Tinubu
The group acknowledged the economic hardship, insecurity, corruption and challenges facing Nigeria’s education and healthcare systems under Mr Tinubu’s administration. However, they said that the president’s reforms were gradually producing positive results.
“We saw his government begin, and we saw the regime of reforms he set out to deliver. We have watched those reforms with open minds. They have been difficult. They have been painful for many households,” Mr Fagbenro-Byron said.
He acknowledged that hunger and the rising cost of living had placed pressure on households, while primary healthcare and public schools required significant improvements.
“Terrorism and insecurity are a grave cause for concern. Corruption has not vanished. And we cannot ignore the millions of children who are still out of school — a crisis that threatens the future of our nation,” he said.
Despite these challenges, he said the administration’s policies were laying the groundwork for economic recovery and greater financial capacity for subnational governments.
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 progress.
“We do not dismiss these realities. We live among them. Yet we have also seen a deliberate direction: the end of the practice of borrowing billions every year to keep petrol artificially cheap; higher allocations reaching states and local governments; debt service as a share of revenue coming down; reserves strengthening; and inflation easing from its earlier peaks,” he said.
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.
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.
“The Electricity Act has opened the door for states to develop their own power markets. Local government financial autonomy has been affirmed by the Supreme Court. Student loans are already supporting hundreds of thousands of young Nigerians. Local fertiliser production has expanded.
“These are not finished victories. They are the foundations of a country that can produce more of what it needs instead of living forever on imports and artificial prices,” he stated
Group adopts new name
As part of its decision to support Mr Tinubu, former members of the Obidient Movement announced they would change their name from Obidients to Batified Obidients and adopt the All Progressives Congress (APC) as their political platform for the 2027 elections.
“We are coming together again. We are former Labour Party and Obidient supporters. We are now shifting our support to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and adopting the All Progressives Congress, the APC, as our political vehicle for 2027, under the name Batified Obidients,” Mr Fagbenro-Byron said.
He said the group’s desire for good governance and sustainable development drove the decision, adding that it considered Mr Tinubu and the APC the most credible option to continue the country’s reform agenda.
“We do not make this choice lightly. We make it because of our common goal: good governance and sustainable development for Nigeria. We believe that, at this moment in our national journey, President Tinubu and the APC offer the most credible direction, the most tested resolve, and the most viable platform to continue the work of rebuilding Nigeria,” he said.
Group pledges mobilisation for Tinubu
The group said it would mobilise voters and campaign for the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.
It also endorsed Vice-President Kashim Shettima for a second term alongside Mr Tinubu, praising his capacity for teamwork and intellect.
“Therefore, we unequivocally endorse President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term. This endorsement naturally extends to Vice-President Shettima, who has equally demonstrated a huge capacity for teamwork and intellect, and who has so far largely dispelled the fears that many had about a Muslim-Muslim ticket,” Mr Fagbenro-Byron said.
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He said the group would reach out to former members, undecided voters and other Nigerians to seek competent and inclusive governance.
He also pledged that they would work to increase the president’s electoral support, particularly in states where opposition candidates defeated him in the 2023 election.
“We will register, organise, campaign, attend rallies, and vote for the APC and for President Tinubu in 2027,” he said.
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.
“We may not be able to bring every Obidient onto this platform. Some have since moved to the ADC, some to the NDC, and some remain with the Labour Party. We respect their choices and wish them well,” he said.
However, he expressed confidence that the new group would attract many former supporters of Mr Obi and help the APC mobilise ahead of the 2027 election.
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