Some grassroots leaders in the OBIdient Movement’s Lagos chapter have turned their criticism towards Dr Yunusa Tanko, the national coordinator, accusing him of backing a disputed list for the state’s leadership council.
The pushback came in a statement released at the weekend by Obiasogu David and Hon. Bamidele Akpata, representing support groups, the Central Organising Committee, and other stakeholders.
They rejected a circulating list for the State Coordinating Council, saying it was allegedly put together without their input by a group of politicians close to Tanko.
Full statement below;
“The purported list of the Obidient Movement State Coordinating Council for Lagos state, now making the rounds, hit us with rude marvel. This isn’t because we lacked knowledge of and were not actively involved in the process of revamping and structuring the Obidient movement in Lagos state, which has been running for months.
“But the eventual decision and choice of the leadership for the movement in the state were totally abrupt and surreptitious, and the source of the list and some of the names enlisted are unknown to any active Obidient in the state.
“To give it a befitting context, a set of position-seeking political actors, for intents that raise doubts, met and drew up a list, wherein they shared positions with loyalists, branded it “State Coordinating Council” and imposed on the ObidientMovement in the state.
“Such a move slaps us, as well as every concerned and active member of the Obidient movement in the state, with sharp, irksome shock, especially considering its covert and manipulative manner.
“Our unequivocal stand is that of utter disregard and rejection of the purported list. We resolve to ensure that the Obidient Movement, for which we laboured to pioneer and build in the state since March 2022, must not derail from its core principles of integrity, truth, democracy, transparency, and populism, the virtues our leader, Peter Obi, espouses.
“We must, also, reiterate that the movement in the state is not a political structure for any politician to hire or hijack for self-aggrandisement or to further their political agenda.
“We are a people-driven movement, built on sacrifice, resilience, and the conviction to rescue Nigeria and Lagos from decades of failed leadership. Therefore, it is imperative that the decisions and activities of the movement, especially a vital one as forming the leadership of the movement at any level, must be subject to and co-opt the core principles of the movement.
“In view of this, we insist that the leadership of the movement must be constituted through wide consultation and popular consent of the active stakeholders of the movement, a process that is devoid of political gimmicks and the interference of self-willed politicians.
“Such leaders of the movement must embody the values and qualities of leadership, be active members of the movement from the founding times, and above all, must be chosen by active stakeholders of the movement, especially the Obidient support groups.
“We call on those who shared the purported list to withdraw it immediately. The national leadership of the Obidient movement must, as a matter of urgency, call for a meeting with stakeholders of the movement in the state to discuss progress”.
