The move by the Labour Party leadership to establish a Directorate for the Obidient Movement has stiffly been kicked against.
This was contained in a disclaimer issued jointly by leaders of the Obidient Movement groups. Mubarak Bawa, for Obidient Conveners Collective Comprising 223 Peter Obi Support Group Conveners and Barr. Daniel Elomba Co-Convener, Peter Obi Support Network (POSN) and 37 others, in Abuja, late on Sunday.
Recall, the National Chairman of the Labour Pary, Julius Abure, had recently announced the formation of the Directorate for the Obidient Movement. This was in his bid to douse the tensions that have of late enveloped the Party due to leadership crises.
The National Chairman also stated that move is to rebuild the confidence of other stakeholders in the party.
In setting up the Obedient Directorate, Abure announced the appointment of Marcel Ngogbehei as Director and Aju Elumelu as Deputy Director (Diaspora). Mariam Ismaila was appointed as Deputy Director.
However, the move to formalize the Obidient Directorate and integrate its members into the party structure have angered the Obidient Movement’s leaders.
According to report, the leaders of the movement have maintained that the creation of the directorate and the appointment of individuals were done without consultation with Peter Obi.
The leaders also stated that directorate was an attempt to usurp its grassroots-driven force.
This was contained in a statement titled, “We Vehemently Reject Julius Abure’s Attempt to Usurp the Obidient Movement”.
The statement further added that the conveners of the Obidient Movement, representing 261 support groups, rejected LP’s offer.
It emphasized the movement’s origin as an independent body of support groups which played a critical role in reviving the Labour Party’s political fortunes.
“We, the leading 261 conveners of the Obidient Movement support groups, are compelled to issue this statement. We, reject Julius Abure’s brazen attempt to co-opt the Obidient Movement by creating an ‘Obedient Directorate’ within the Labour Party.
“The Obidient Movement predates Peter Obi’s entry into the Labour Party. It is a global force far more potent than the Labour Party, which had not seen electoral success since Olusegun Mimiko’s 2007 governorship victory in Ondo State.”
“The Labour Party had one job in the 2023 elections: to protect the votes and secure the victory achieved by the Obidients.
“On this simple task, Julius Abure and his party failed spectacularly. Failing Peter Obi, failing the millions of Obidients worldwide, and failing Nigeria’s future generations.”
Further expressing their disenchantment, the leaders of the various support groups described the move by the LP leadership as an attempt to control the movement. They maintained that the movement had brought new vitality to the party.
Disagreeing with the directorate, the leaders called the initiative a “ludicrous scheme” and a “destructive plot.”
They stressed that it is a ploy orchestrated by forces with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
They held, “This ludicrous scheme, no doubt is concocted within the corridors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Whose president and cronies are desperate to undermine Peter Obi’s popularity and the unstoppable force of the Obidient Movement.
The leaders also criticized Ngogbehei’s appointment by the LP National Chairman. They labelled him a discredited figure with a history of corruption. Thherefore, emphasized that the Obidient Movement recognizes no leader other than Peter Obi.
They said, “Ngogbehei’s attempts to portray himself as ‘The Obidient Leader’ are laughable. The Obidient Movement recognizes no leader other than Peter Obi. Ngogbehei, a grifter with a tainted past, is not, and will never be, a figure of influence within our ranks,” the group said.
The Movement added , “We categorically reject the creation of an Obidient Directorate within the Labour Party. We explicitly reject the appointment of a charlatan like Marcel Ngogbehei to any position of authority within the Movement.
“We call on Julius Abure to halt this destructive plot. He should engage in sincere dialogue with the true stakeholders of the Obidient Movement, starting with His Excellency Peter Obi.”
By the time of this report, the Abure led Labour Party has not responded to the Movement’s grievances.
source: Vanguard
Follow us for more news on our WhatsApp News Channels @
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaC505jB4hdZ5Yx9g82U
