— Official leadership rejects parallel structure, warns public against impersonators
Eshioromeh Sebastian
There was high drama on Thursday as a faction claiming to be the “original founders” of the Obidient Movement announced the expulsion of Peter Obi and National Coordinator Dr. Yunusa Tanko from the movement, triggering an immediate rebuttal from the officially recognized leadership.
The faction, which addressed a press briefing in Abuja, declared that it had sacked Obi and Tanko with immediate effect. Speaking at the briefing, the self-acclaimed International Coordinator of the rebranded group, Dr. Barry Avotu Johnson, also announced the dissolution of all leadership structures created after the 2023 general elections and a rebranding of the movement from “Obidient” to “OBEDIENT.”
Johnson accused Obi and Tanko of “political prostitution” and the alleged misuse of the movement for “personal advantage and private gains.” He further announced that the faction has ceased all dealings with the Labour Party and has not yet adopted any presidential candidate for the 2027 elections.
“The rebranding was necessary because after the 2023 elections, the original vision and founding ideals of the #Obidient Movement were no longer being adequately represented by those who assumed control of its structure,” Johnson said.
The faction also announced Mallam Nasir Baba as Secretary of the rebranded movement, with other leadership roles to be filled in the coming weeks.
However, in a swift reaction, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, in his capacity as the recognized National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, issued a press statement to Spear News Nigeria rejecting the parallel structure and dismissing the faction’s claims.
The statement declared that the Obidient Movement recognizes no parallel structure, faction, or alternative leadership outside its established leadership framework aligned with Peter Obi.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Obidient Movement recognizes no parallel structure, faction, or alternative leadership outside its established and recognized leadership framework aligned with His Excellency, Peter Obi,” the statement read.
Tanko advised the public, media organizations, supporters across Nigeria and the diaspora, and all stakeholders to disregard any group operating under derivative or deceptively similar identities, stressing that such groups do not represent the Obidient Movement, its values, or its leadership.
“The Obidient Movement remains a people-driven movement founded on integrity, accountability, justice, and the collective aspiration for a New Nigeria,” the statement continued. “Attempts to create confusion, misrepresent the movement’s identity, or exploit its growing influence for ulterior interests will not distract us from our mission and ongoing engagement with Nigerians across all levels.”
He urged all Obidients and members of the public to remain focused, united, and guided only by communications issued through the officially recognized leadership and communication channels of the movement.
“The vision of a New Nigeria remains alive, clear, and unwavering,” the statement concluded.
The Obidient Movement did not emerge from a political party boardroom. Its roots trace back to the civic energy unleashed by the #EndSARS protests of October 2020, when young Nigerians across the country rose against police brutality and bad governance. That movement of mostly young, digitally native Nigerians demonstrated the power of people-powered mobilization — a template that would later evolve into the Obidient phenomenon.
According to the faction’s own account, “This movement was born from the spirit of civic awakening that followed the EndSARS Movement, particularly from the activities and youth mobilization witnessed here in Abuja and across the country.” From that civic energy, early organizers sought to institutionalize democratic participation, including an unsuccessful attempt to register the Nigeria Youth Democratic Party (NYDP) with INEC in 2022.
The Coalition for Peter Obi (May 2022)
In May 2022, over a dozen independent support groups came together under a unified banner: the Coalition for Peter Obi. This coalition represented a diverse array of youth movements, professional associations, and grassroots networks that had independently aligned around the candidacy of Peter Obi, who had recently defected from the PDP to the Labour Party.
What made this coalition remarkable was its funding model — entirely volunteer-driven. Major mobilisation efforts including the One Million Man March and the first Obidient Leadership Summit were funded by ordinary Nigerians who believed in creating a viable political alternative.
The 2023 Presidential Campaign
Between 2022 and the February 2023 general election, the movement exploded into a nationwide phenomenon. The phrase “Obidient” — a portmanteau of “Obi” and “obedient” — became a rallying cry for millions of young Nigerians frustrated with the old political order.
The movement described itself then, as it does now, as a people-driven collective founded on integrity, accountability, justice, and the collective aspiration for a New Nigeria — values that transcended traditional political, religious, and ethnic affiliations.
Despite Obi’s third-place finish in the February 2023 presidential election, the movement remained active. However, the post-election period revealed growing tensions.
In 2024, Peter Obi approved a new leadership structure for the movement, appointing Dr. Yunusa Tanko as National Coordinator. This restructuring, according to public accounts, was meant to transform the movement from an amorphous organization into a more structured entity.
However, critics argued that these appointments were made without sufficient consultation with foundational groups. By late 2025, Morris Monye, the movement’s Director of Mobilisation, had resigned publicly, citing harassment and lack of support.
It is against this backdrop of internal friction that the current faction emerged in May 2026 — claiming to reclaim a movement some feel was never truly theirs to lose.
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