By Eshioromeh Sebastian
The Obidient Movement has rejected the appointment of Theo Abu Agada, a known critic of presidential candidate Peter Obi, as Director of New Media and Strategic Communications for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
The party had announced Agada’s appointment alongside that of Brian Dennis as Deputy Director, stating it was part of efforts to strengthen its digital operations and media engagement strategy ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The NDC described Agada as a strategic communications professional with experience in political campaigns, corporate brand management, and public relations .
However, the appointment has sparked immediate backlash from the Obidient Movement, Peter Obi’s influential support base.
Tanko Yunusa, National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, told the Peoples Gazette on Thursday that the movement does not support the appointment .
“The party appointed that particular person. We’ll now have to inform the party of the activities of that particular fellow, that we do not support somebody who is antagonistic to Peter Obi,” Yunusa said.
“We do not, and we can’t support that appointment, because we did not nominate him in the first place” .
He further warned: “Anybody that will be injurious to Peter Obi is not from us, and can never be from us”.
The reaction from Obidient supporters has been more forceful. In a strongly worded statement, a faction speaking on behalf of the movement described the appointment as “a direct insult” to Peter Obi and the millions of Nigerians who support him .
The statement, signed by a supporter known as “Karigwe Prophet of Thoughts,” accused Agada of having a history of making “repeated attacks, insults, and open hostility” towards Obi .
Even more seriously, the group alleged that Agada once claimed Peter Obi had “unleashed his IPOB supporters on Nigerians” .
“That kind of statement goes beyond political disagreement. It is a dangerous attempt to link Peter Obi and Obidients to IPOB, and by extension paint the movement with the brush of extremism and terrorism,” the supporters said.
The Obidient supporters have made several demands, including:
· Immediate reversal of Agada’s appointment
· A public explanation from NDC leadership on how the appointment was approved
· A formal apology to Peter Obi and the Obidient Movement
· A commitment that no individual with a history of hostility towards Obi will be placed in any sensitive strategic communication role
The statement also questioned the effectiveness of Tanko Yunusa as movement leader, asking why “this pattern of disrespect keeps repeating itself” under his watch .
NDC Yet to Respond
The movement has reportedly communicated its reservations to the NDC leadership and is currently engaging party officials on the matter . However, as of the time of filing this report, the party’s national secretary had not responded to requests for comment .
Focus Remains on 2027
Despite the controversy, Yunusa emphasized that the movement’s primary objective remains securing Peter Obi’s place on the ballot for the 2027 presidential election.
“We’ll respond to all of these but the major concern before us is to ensure that Peter Obi gets the ticket and his name is submitted to INEC accordingly, because there are people orchestrating to ensure that the man doesn’t get to that particular level,” he said.
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