Former spokesman for the Atiku Abubakar/Ifeanyi Okowa presidential campaign, Daniel Bwala, has sparked outrage with his latest claims about the Obidient movement.
In an interview on Channels Television’s Morning Brief, Bwala alleged that most Obidients are either members or sympathizers of the Indigenous People of Biafra, a proscribed separatist group.
Bwala also accused the Labour Party’s presidential candidate of lacking a history of democratic credentials.
He claimed that Obi’s supporters, known as Obidients, are notorious for bullying and attacking those who disagree with them.
Bwala’s comments have ignited a firestorm of controversy, with many questioning the basis of his claims and others defending his right to free speech.
The development highlights the deepening divisions within Nigeria’s political landscape.
Bwala berated Obidients for always attacking and abusing those who don’t agree with them on issues concerning Peter Obi and the Nigerian Presidency.
When asked why he was obsessed with Obi, he said, “I am not obsessed with Peter Obi. First of all, Peter Obi is not an issue right now in government. The President is sitting on the saddle. Even the person who came second was not Peter Obi.
“What I do as a private citizen, having my rights, is what we call the right of self-defence. There are a set of people who believe that this country cannot make progress unless their wishes are forcefully pushed down the throats of the Nigerian people.
“The reason they keep talking is that the man whom they see as numero uno, the man who taught them how to take back their country, the man who taught them how to win by bullying, does not have democratic credentials either in his days as a student or after he finished his university or during his work period. Nothing like human rights advocacy, nothing like civil society, nothing like philanthropy, no connection with democracy.
“So, when you do not suffer, and there is no blood, sweat and tears, you will not know the value of democracy, and that the greater number of those who come under that cover – Obidients – in my opinion are actually IPOB and IPOB apologists masquerading themselves as Obidients.
“They don’t have respect for all the virtues and elements that constitute free society. Nobody survives their vulgar as long as the person does not join them in saying that Peter Obi is the President of Nigeria.
“But Peter Obi, as everybody knows, is the President of social media but not necessarily the President of Nigeria.”
Asked for evidence to substantiate that a greater number of Obidients are IPOB members and IPOB apologists, Bwala said he only gave an opinion as he had no empirical data to support his claim.
