The term “Obidients” no longer needs introduction. Posterity will have a vast space of honour for it. It is prominently cited across all geopolitical lexicography; thanks to the enthusiasm among our Youths, influenced by Peter Obi’s irresistible leadership philosophy that has renewed the hope of ordinary citizens that “a new Nigeria is possible.” It is a bold statement of purpose by the teeming youths who advocate good governance — an extension of#EndSARS mass protest. A historic movement!
However, as Nigeria’s endemic reputation for human rights violation happened to the movement, a lot of ontological disorientation crept into it. A boomerang situation is setting its current path. The Nigeria government, headed by President Muhammadu Buhari, through its electoral agency — Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) rigged the February 25, 2023 presidential election that was unanimously projected to be the most freest and fairest of all mass franchises in our history. It created a heartbreaking memory. And like every other sociopolitical malady, it has tremendous repercussions, one of which is electoral insurrection — protest voting.
As Isaac Newton posited: “action and reaction are equal and opposite.” Obidients in their numbers were enraged. But their idol — Mr. Obi asked them to be calm while he drill the nail of justice into the coffin of Nigerian judicial system. They obeyed, but not with some disgruntlement. They took a figment of their anger to the March 11 (now March 18) governorship and state Assembly elections. They believed that since the old guards frustrated their efforts at the centre, it is their turn to suffocate their plans by voting Labour Party (LP) with reckless abandon at the state level.
But how will such mob repercussionary voting pattern pan out in our drive to enthrone good governance across every strata of government? The slogan “vote LP from top-to-bottom” may be spelling doom like it did in 2015 when we saw “APC from top-to-bottom.”
This must be why Archbishop Emmanuel Chukwuma of Enugu said this of the upcoming election: “Saturday (25th February) a lot of mistakes were made because of wrong emotion. Some who were elected have no experience and cannot legislate. That mistake must be avoided on the 18th please. The Church will surely speak!”
Don’t get it twisted. Saying “vote LP from top-to-bottom” is a bad way to go in political revolution. Put in proper perspective, the message should be: “vote the right candidates across their respective parties from top-to-bottom.”
Best leadership reform happens when we de-emphasize party and adopt best candidates irrespective of party affiliation. This was why we were all Obidients at the centre, but never Labour Party members. We pick the best candidates from various parties to support.
LP from top-to-bottom? Meaning no good candidate can be found in other parties, be they big or small?
This position can be likened to certain theological error that Christianity (especially Catholic Church) once held. Honest christian historiographers would easily recall the infamous declaration: “extra ecclesia, nulla salus” (there is no salvation outside the church). It didn’t take long before doctors and fathers of the church got inspired by the truth that, though he subsists in the church, the Holy Spirit is too big a person to be caged within one religious organization.
The aura of men of goodwill transcends the confine of party politics. It requires open-mindedness, like the church fathers cited above had, to discover and support them.
“Obidients don’t have tribe, region, party or religion. We’re Nigerians who want to recreate a new Nigeria,” so said Adédàpò Olówófelá.
For Rev. Fr. Cassie Urama of Nsukka diocese: “there’s no other time we are waiting for. The time is hinc et nunc. Remember that the top-to-bottom mantra is extraneous to the political belief of core obedients. Obi himself granted interview and said that in whatever party a good man is found, let him be voted in. The video is out there.”
Across all parties, true Obidients should look for any candidate with Peter Obi’s kind of leadership pedigree. ‘Corrupt’ PDP gave Nigeria Late President Umaru Yar’dua, who is still adjudged the best president since the return of democracy. They also gave Ebonyi state Engr. David Umahi, who was acknowledged as a quintessential developer of the state.
‘Corrupt’ APC produced Prof. Babagana Zulum in Borno, another uncommon leader of the state.
Obidient movement is not a Labour Party movement. It is a right candidate movement. And right candidates for all positions are not domiciled in one party. The Character not the party of those we want to hand over the affairs of our State mattters a lot. LP has full compliments of every other Nigerian political party — selfishness of stakeholders, undefined political ideology, misguided aims and objectives etc. So, it can only be the character of individual candidates that distinguishes right ones from the wrong ones, and not party affiliation.
In Nigeria, political parties don’t change elective office holders. Imagine Senator Ifeanyi Ubah winning Senatorial election back-to-back with a party as unpopular as YPP. Nothing changed between when Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue state cross-carpeted from APC to PDP. He was the same Ortom we knew. Same goes to Peter Obi. From APGA to PDP to Labour Party, he has remained the same uncompromising agent of sociopolitical change.
Though I am not a fan of Frank Nweke Jnr, I was impressed when one of the foremost Obidients — Aisha Yesufu made a video advocating for his emergence at the upcoming Enugu Guber poll. Her reason was based on the four-way test of true Obidients which are antecedents, track records, current manifesto and prospects.
If this mindset was maintained without emotional overflow, men like Banky W. would have had the Obidients’ votes.
May daylight spare us!
Jude Eze
