Gbenga Sodeinde
Former members of the 2023 Presidential Campaign Council of Labour Party candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, have launched a new political group, Batified Obidients, declaring their support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general election.
The group announced its emergence at a meeting held in Wuse 2, Abuja, attended by six zonal coordinators representing the country’s geopolitical zones, as well as representatives from all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
In a statement made available to THISDAY on Wednesday, the group described itself as a national coordination platform of former Obi Presidential Campaign Council members committed to working for the re-election of President Tinubu under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
The statement, signed by the National Coordinator, Adesina Fagbenro-Byron, said its members served in Obi’s presidential campaign with dedication but, after what it described as months of reflection, concluded that the former Anambra State governor lacked the leadership qualities required to govern Nigeria.
According to the statement, the decision to support Tinubu was not driven by personal grievances but by what it described as a careful assessment of governance, competence and national leadership.
The group claimed that during its time in the Obi campaign, it observed weak diversity management, inadequate appreciation of talent and limited capacity for resolving internal conflicts.
It further alleged that many professionals who devoted their time and expertise to the campaign were neither adequately recognised nor effectively utilised, adding that the experience exposed what it described as a leadership style that failed to promote institutional loyalty, team cohesion and long-term capacity building.
The former campaign council members argued that Nigeria’s complexity requires a leader with proven executive experience, coalition-building ability, legislative understanding and crisis management skills.
They maintained that President Tinubu possesses those qualities, rating him ahead of Obi in executive capacity, reform orientation, national reach and ability to build political consensus.
The group also declared that the Labour Party was “not structurally or ideologically prepared” to govern Nigeria.
Distancing itself from the broader Obidient Movement, the group stressed that it does not claim to represent all Obi supporters, explaining that it consists solely of former members of Obi’s Presidential Campaign Council who have now aligned with President Tinubu and the APC.
Setting out its mission, Batified Obidients said it would mobilise former Obi supporters, undecided voters and other Nigerians to support Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
It added that it would defend the administration’s policies, explain ongoing reforms to Nigerians and work towards increasing the President’s electoral support beyond the votes recorded in the 2023 presidential election.
The group disclosed that it would operate through a national structure comprising a National Coordinator, a National Secretariat, regional coordinators across the six geopolitical zones, and state coordinators in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Expressing confidence in the Tinubu administration, the group said it believes the President’s reforms will ultimately strengthen Nigeria’s economy and governance.
“Our support is not blind. It is based on a clear-eyed assessment of leadership capacity and national need,” the statement read.
It added that its mission is to work for President Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 while contributing to the success of his administration.