Fresh cracks have emerged within the Obidient Movement in Borno State after a violent clash disrupted the inauguration of its new state executive officers in Maiduguri on Wednesday.
The Obidient Movement, a support group of the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, had convened the event to usher in a new leadership team. However, the ceremony turned chaotic when the former state secretary, Wisdom Osai, protested the swearing-in of the new executives, alleging that due process was ignored in their selection.
Eyewitnesses said the protest escalated when thugs stormed the venue to forcibly eject Osai, triggering a violent confrontation with his supporters. Chairs were smashed as tempers flared, forcing participants to flee.
Aggrieved members claimed the newly imposed leadership lacked legitimacy. “Some people just sat in a room and drafted the names of themselves without any consultation,” one protester, Ike Joseph, alleged. Another member, Salih Adamu, rejected the new state coordinator, Ayuba Wakawa, describing him as “not a consensus candidate.”
Supporters of the new executives, however, accused the dissenters of being sponsored to destabilise the group.
Despite the rowdy scenes, security operatives quickly restored order, allowing the inauguration to continue.
Reacting, the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr Yunusa Tanko, dismissed the incident as the handiwork of infiltrators.
“It was a case of some people trying to infiltrate the rank of the Obidient. The tension was quickly doused before it got out of hand.
“These are things that happen in politics, especially when elections are coming,” he said.
Tanko commended the police for their swift intervention, which he said ensured peace, order, and the continuation of the programme.
