- Safiu Kehinde
Barry Avotu, the new Cooardinator of the Obedient Movement Worldwide, has narrated how the 2023 Labour Party Presidential candidate, Peter Obi, allegedly hijacked the movement following his adoption.
NPO Reported that Avotu had, alongside some other members, on Thursday announced the rebranding of the Obidient Movement to the Obedient Movement which was claimed to be the original name of the group.
The coordinator also annouched the sacking of the Yusuf Tanko-led leadership of the movement while also disassociating self from Peter Obi.
Speaking further on the development during an interview on News Central TV on Thursday, Avotu recalled how the movement was from.
According to him, the movement was established in 2022 before the adoption of Obi by the group.
He revealed that the group was borne out of the 2020 #EndSARS protest and had initially filed for the registration of a youth-focused political party, the Nigerian Youths Democratic Party (NYDP).
Avotu noted that the rejection of the party’s registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) led to the resolution to align with any political party which initially led them to former Presidential aspirant, Prof. Pat Utomi, before Obi came on board.
“We started the Obedient Movement after the #EndSARS and the NYDP that was not registered by INEC- a political party that sprang up after the #EndSARS.
“We started the Obedient Movement before we adopted Peter Obi and before Peter Obi hijacked the movement and decided to bring leadership.
“Definitely before it became organic, there must be pen and paper on ground. How did the logo and name come about?
“We had the Obedient Movement before we adopted an Obi. We looked at it, took out the ‘e’ and replaced it with an ‘i’to suit his anchor name just like the way we worked on Yusuf Yusful. We did that change ourselves.
“I and one or two other people did it before it became viral and before everybody on social media started using it.” He said.
While identifying other founding mwmbers of the group, Avotu recalled how Utomi linked them to Obi after dropping his aspiration and charged them to work with him.
“Yes, it is organic but it started by the decision of I myself and some other people in the presence of Prof. Pat Utomi who called invited us.
“One person is dead. We lost him last month, Ayo Ogendengbe. The other person was declared wanted during the #EndBadGovernance Protest. His name is Lucky.
“In 2022 when we lost grip to register a youth party called Nigerian Youth Democratic Party (NYDP), we decided to melt into any political party that could absorb us and we met with Prof. Pat Utomi who was running for Presidency at that time.
“He said ‘I am not running again but we are going to give you somebody that you have to be obedient to. ‘
“He was even the one who staryed using the word. And we said Sir, for your age and for your level of decision to join the influence of good governance and quality leadership and respect to the rule of law, we will be obedient to that man.
“And the next day, we did a poster with name ‘Obe…’and thereafter changed it to ”Obi…'” The Obedient Movement coordinator said.