Some members of the Obidient Movement are working against the Labour Party and are serving as attacking dogs for the opposition, says Peter Obi amidst concerns that his followers, the Obidients (largely made up of Nigerian youths who profess anti-establishment sentiments), have become an abrasive, unwieldy mob.
“Some of the Obidients, I must tell, or people they mentioned are Obidients, are not entirely people who are with us. The oppositions have come into it and are using it at times. But that’s nothing to worry about,” Mr Obi claimed in an interview aired Monday night on ARISE TV.
He spoke against the backdrop of vile attacks the Obidients launched against playwright and activist Wole Soyinka for his “fascist” comments. Mr Obi had previously thrown his weight behind the Obidients until now, revealing that some Obidients “are not entirely people who are with us.”
“Prof (Soyinka) is a respected, revered personality in Nigeria and globally. I’ve always respected him. He is a dear father to me, and for me, I was very sad that there was such exchange,” Mr Obi stated when commenting on the vitriol hurled against Mr Soyinka.
Mr Obi, a standard-bearer of the Labour, is claiming that he won the presidential poll even though he was named the third runner-up in the race behind Peoples Democratic Party flag bearer Atiku Abubakar and the president-elect, APC’s Bola Tinubu.
His party and the vociferous Obidients have launched viral attacks against individuals and organisations perceived to be against Mr Obi’s presidential ambition or interests.
Rather than denounce the Obidients, Mr Obi blamed the “system” and “oppositions,” likely APC, PDP and other parties against the Labour.
“I was very sad there was such exchange between a respected father. These young people have been so deprived by a system that is supposed to take care of them,” said the former Anambra governor. “They’ve been pushed to the wall. Even me, the way they react when I say things. But I could see their pain. I could feel it.”
