Former members of Peter Obi’s 2023 Presidential Campaign Council have launched a new political group known as Batified Obidients, declaring their support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The group said it was formed by individuals who previously worked for Obi during the 2023 presidential campaign but have now decided to support Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Politics Nigeria reports that the Batified Obidients announced its formation at a meeting in Wuse 2, Abuja.
The meeting brought together six zonal coordinators representing Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, alongside representatives from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Adesina Fagbenro-Byron, the group described itself as a national platform made up specifically of former members of Obi’s Presidential Campaign Council.
The members said their decision followed a period of reflection on their experience during the 2023 presidential campaign and their assessment of the political direction they believe Nigeria requires ahead of 2027.
According to the group, its members participated actively in Obi’s campaign because they believed in his political message at the time.
They, however, said their subsequent assessment led them to conclude that they could no longer support his presidential ambition.
The group alleged that its experience within the campaign exposed what it described as weaknesses in internal coordination, talent management and conflict resolution.
It claimed that several professionals who contributed their expertise and time to the 2023 campaign were not sufficiently recognised or effectively deployed.
The former campaign members also raised concerns about what they described as challenges in building a strong and cohesive political structure around Obi.
They said their decision to move towards Tinubu was not motivated by personal disagreements or grievances.
Rather, the group said it was based on its assessment of leadership, governance and the demands of managing a country as complex as Nigeria.
The group argued that executive experience, political coalition-building, legislative understanding and the ability to manage crises were important considerations in determining who should lead the country.
It consequently declared its support for Tinubu and said it would work for his re-election in 2027 under the APC.
The group also criticised the Labour Party, saying it was “not structurally or ideologically prepared” to govern Nigeria.
Batified Obidients further said its members should not be mistaken for the wider Obidient Movement.
It explained that the organisation was not claiming to speak for all supporters of Obi or everyone associated with the Obidient movement.
Instead, it said its membership was limited to people who previously served in Obi’s Presidential Campaign Council and have now chosen to support Tinubu.
The group said it would focus on mobilising former Obi supporters, undecided voters and other Nigerians ahead of the 2027 election.
It also plans to defend the policies of the Tinubu administration and explain the government’s ongoing reforms to voters.
The organisation said another major part of its agenda would be to expand Tinubu’s support beyond the votes he received during the 2023 presidential election.
The group has also announced a nationwide organisational structure to coordinate its activities.
According to the statement, Batified Obidients will operate through a National Coordinator and National Secretariat, supported by regional coordinators across the six geopolitical zones.
State coordinators will also be appointed across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Tinubu is seeking another term under the APC, while Obi is now preparing to contest the presidential election under the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), with Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso as his running mate.
