Some former members of the 2023 Presidential Campaign Council of Peter Obi have declared support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid announcing their adoption of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as their political platform.
The group operating under the name Batified Obidients explained that its decision followed an assessment of the 2023 presidential campaign the performance of the Tinubu administration and the need to sustain ongoing economic and institutional reforms.
Adesina Fagbenro-Byron a former director of Operations of the Obi-Datti campaign council and Fabian Chukwudoruo former head of Logistics of the same council signed a statement the Battled-Obidients made available to reporters at a news conference in Abuja yesterday.
Fagbenro-Byron who is the national coordinator of the Battled-Obidients read the statement and explained that they resolved to support Tinubu for a second term despite having previously worked with Obi Datti-Ahmed and the Labour Party in 2023.
He said the decision was informed by their belief that Tinubu and the APC offered a more viable platform for achieving sustainable development and good governance.
His words: ‘Today we have made our choice. Let there be no ambiguity. We are coming together again.
‘We are former Labour Party and Obidient supporters. We are now shifting our support to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and adopting the APC as our political vehicle for 2027 under the name Batified Obidients.’
He also endorsed Vice-President Kashim Shettima saying their support for Tinubu’s re-election naturally extends to him.
Fagbenro-Byron said the endorsement was not made lightly but followed what he described as an assessment of the country’s political and economic direction since the 2023 election.
He added: ‘We do not make this choice lightly. We make it because of our common goal: good governance and sustainable development for Nigeria.
‘We believe that at this moment in our national journey President Tinubu and the APC offer the most credible direction the most tested resolve and the most viable platform to continue the work of rebuilding Nigeria.’
Explaining the group’s decision to withdraw its support for Obi Fagbenro-Byron said members identified weaknesses in the management of the 2023 presidential campaign particularly in the handling of talent diversity and internal disagreements.
He said the experience raised questions about the capacity of the former Anambra State governor to manage a country as complex as Nigeria.
‘After months of honest reflection on what we witnessed from inside the campaign the truth became impossible to ignore. We saw real weaknesses in how talent was mismanaged how diversity was mishandled and how internal conflicts went unresolved’ he said.
Fagbenro-Byron added that some professionals who volunteered their expertise were neither adequately recognised nor effectively deployed.
‘Looking back with clear eyes we have come to see that the demands of leading a country as complex and demanding as Nigeria may have been beyond what Mr Peter Obi was prepared for’ he said.
He however acknowledged that Obi who is now the Nigeria Democratic Congress(NDC) presidential candidate for next year’s election made efforts to restore peace in LP.
‘This is not to say he did not try or that his intentions were not sincere. But it became clear to those of us inside the campaign that he was in many ways out of his depth without fully realising it’ he added.
Fagbenro-Byron stressed that their position should not be interpreted as speaking for all Nigerians who supported Obi in 2023 acknowledging that many former supporters have maintained their allegiance to him(Obi) or moved to other political parties.
‘We do not claim to speak for every Nigerian who once supported Mr Obi or the Labour Party. We respect those who remain with him and those who have gone elsewhere’ he said.
The former Obi campaign council official said their decision to back Tinubu was based partly on their assessment of the administration’s economic reforms which they acknowledged had imposed considerable hardship on Nigerians.
Fagbenro-Byron admitted that rising living costs hunger insecurity and inadequate access to essential public services remained major challenges confronting the country.
He said the group was not oblivious to the difficulties experienced by households since the introduction of the administration’s reforms.
‘Hunger is real. The cost of living has bitten hard. Families are struggling to put food on the table. Primary healthcare and schools still need serious attention. Terrorism and insecurity are a grave cause for concern. Corruption has not vanished’ he said.
As part of its strategy for the 2027 election Batified Obidients said it would mobilise former campaign associates undecided voters and other Nigerians who support its vision for governance.
Fagbenro-Byron said the group intends to organise across the country register members participate in political activities and campaign for Tinubu and the APC.
‘We will work to grow the support President Tinubu received in 2023 with special attention to states where his opposition won’ he said.
The coordinator said the group’s name reflects its decision to retain its commitment to good governance while supporting Tinubu’s political platform.
According to him the name does not represent a rejection of its past but an attempt to redirect the political energy and experience of its members towards what they consider a more viable path for Nigeria.
‘Our name is deliberate. We do not deny our history. But we remain Obidient to the hunger for good governance. We are Batified in our recognition of competence courage and the direction needed to rebuild Nigeria’ he said.