Ex-Obi campaign members launch ‘Batified Obedients’, back Tinubu for 2027

A group of former members of the 2023 Presidential Campaign Council of Peter Obi has formally declared support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general election.

The group, operating under the name Batified Obedients, made the declaration on Wednesday in Abuja at an international press conference to formally launch its platform.

The keynote address, prepared by its National Coordinator, Adesina Fagbenro-Byron, a former Director of Operations in the Obidient Movement, was read by the Deputy National Coordinator and former Head of Logistics of the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council, Fabian Ozoigbo Chukwudoruo.

Fagbenro-Byron said the group has adopted the All Progressives Congress (APC) as its political vehicle for 2027.

“Today is not a day for looking back. Today is a day for stating where we stand, why we stand there, and where we are going. We did not come here to relive 2023. We came here to declare 2027,” he said in the address approved by the group.

“We are former members of the 2023 Presidential Campaign Council of Mr. Peter Obi. We gave that campaign our time, our skills, and our genuine belief that Nigeria could take a new direction.”

He said while the group respects those who remain with Obi and the Labour Party (LP), it speaks for professionals who worked inside the campaign and have now made a different choice.

According to the address, the group came from diverse backgrounds across the 36 states with a common purpose of seeking good governance, security, and inclusive development, and supported Obi because members believed he represented a departure from the status quo.

Reflecting on 2023, Fagbenro-Byron said the experience inside the campaign raised questions about talent management, diversity, and internal conflict resolution.

“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 mis-managed, how diversity was mis-handled, and how internal conflicts went unresolved,” he said.

“Looking back with clear eyes, we have come to see that the demands of leading a country as complex as Nigeria may have been beyond what Mr. Peter Obi was prepared for.”

He added that the pool of volunteer professionals around the campaign was largely left untapped.

On developments since 2023, the group acknowledged prevailing economic hardship but said it had also observed clear direction in current reforms.

“They have been difficult. They have been painful for many households. Hunger is real. The cost of living has bitten hard. Yet we have also seen a deliberate direction: the end of borrowing billions every year simply to keep petrol artificially cheap; higher allocations reaching states and local governments; debt service as a share of revenue coming down; reserves strengthening; and inflation easing,” the address stated.

It cited the Electricity Act, the Supreme Court’s affirmation of local government financial autonomy, student loans, the expansion of local fertiliser production, and the decentralisation of military formations as important foundations.

Fagbenro-Byron said he was keen to see the conclusion of the infrastructural revolution led by Ministers David Umahi and Festus Keyamo, as well as the reforms in the solid minerals sector under Minister Dele Alake.

Declaring its 2027 position, the group said:

“We are former Labour Party and Obidient supporters. We are now shifting our support to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and adopting the All Progressives Congress as our political vehicle for 2027, under the name Batified Obedients. We unequivocally endorse President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term.”

It stated that the endorsement extends to Vice-President Kashim Shettima, who it noted has demonstrated a capacity for teamwork.

The group said it would mobilise former colleagues and undecided voters, with particular attention to states where the opposition won in 2023, and work alongside the APC and other Tinubu support groups.

“We may not be able to bring every Obidient onto this platform. Some have since moved to the ADC, some to the NDC, and some remain with Labour Party. We respect their choices,” it said.

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It described its identity as anchored on loyalty to Nigeria first, being “Obidient” to the hunger for good governance, and “Batified” in recognition of the competence needed to rebuild Nigeria.

The group posed seven questions to Nigerians on fuel subsidy, Ways and Means financing, electricity generation, import dependence, local government funding, the old tax system, and the practice of concealing economic problems.

It also called on all tiers of government to facilitate a credible social register across all local government areas to ensure social welfare interventions reach vulnerable Nigerians.

“The pain today is real. But the old road was not better. It was only hiding the problem. This new road is hard now, but it can build a stronger Nigeria,” the address added.