Peter Obi: Soludo Endorsement Not Betrayal, Says Anambra Obidient Movement

Supporters of the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, under the banner of the Obidient Movement in Anambra State, have defended their recent endorsement of Governor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for a second term.

The group, led by Ikenna Azomchine, popularly known as the “Obidient General,” said the decision was not an act of rebellion against the Labour Party or its candidate, Dr. George Moghalu, but a conscious recognition of Soludo’s “visible performance and competence.”

In a statement released on Wednesday, Azomchine clarified that the endorsement was not a betrayal of Peter Obi or the Labour Party, but a continuation of the values the Obidient Movement stands for.

“Let it be clear, the endorsement of Professor Chukwuma Soludo by the Obidient General and the majority of Anambra Obidients is neither fraudulent nor misleading,” he said.

“It is a conscious, value-driven, and legitimate decision anchored on competence, integrity, and visible performance.”

He stressed that the Obidient Movement is “a citizens’ movement of conscience” rather than a political structure tied to any party.

“The endorsement of Soludo was a value-based act, not a political trade-off. The Obidient Movement is not a party platform. It was created to raise the bar of governance in Nigeria,” he said.

Azomchine said the group’s decision followed consultations with Obidient members across Anambra, where over 80% reportedly supported Soludo’s re-election bid after performance assessments were conducted.

“Our support for Peter Obi was based on merit, not party uniform. The same principle now guides our support for Professor Soludo, whose governance in Anambra reflects vision, structure, and results,” he said.

He listed achievements under Soludo’s administration, including ongoing road construction, school rehabilitation, hospital upgrades, and general stability in the state, describing them as proof of “a leadership that works.”

“To interrupt that progress in the name of partisan solidarity would be an insult to reason and progress,” he added.

The statement also took aim at Dr. Yunusa Tanko, the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, who had earlier dismissed the Soludo endorsement as unauthorized.

Azomchine accused Tanko of misrepresenting the movement’s philosophy and structure.

“Dr. Tanko’s release is not only unauthorized but also a blatant misrepresentation of the philosophy and decentralized structure of the Obidient Movement,” he said.

“This response aims to set the record straight and call out the inconsistencies, contradictions, and partisanship embedded in his claims.”

According to him, Tanko’s claim of national leadership over the movement is “self-appointed” and “contrary to the decentralized, citizen-driven model” that defines the Obidient structure.

Azomchine also clarified that there was no official endorsement of Labour Party governorship candidate, Dr. George Moghalu, within the Obidient Movement.

“There was no official or collective meeting of the Obidient Movement at any level that endorsed George Moghalu or any other gubernatorial candidate in Anambra State,” he said.

“What happened was a Labour Party affair, in which LP members who also identify as Obidients expressed loyalty to their party candidate. That, however, cannot be mistaken for a Movement-wide endorsement.”

He reiterated that the movement’s allegiance remains to good governance and accountability, not political party lines.

“The Obidient Movement was never created to promote blind party loyalty or personality cults. It was created to raise the standard of governance and support those who deliver results,” he said.

The controversy began after a faction of the Obidient Movement in Anambra, led by Azomchine, publicly endorsed Governor Soludo for a second term. The move drew criticism from Labour Party loyalists and Tanko’s national faction, who accused the Anambra group of acting outside the movement’s framework.

Azomchine’s camp insists the endorsement was purely value-based and reflects the will of Anambra citizens within the movement.