ARISE News Director of Politics, Akin Osuntokun, says the Obidient Movement evolved from the #EndSARS protests before Peter Obi joined the Labour Party.

Osuntokun made the remarks while speaking on ARISE NEWS on Friday during a discussion on the controversy surrounding the OK Movement and its relationship with the National Democratic Congress (NDC) ahead of the 2027 elections.

Reflecting on his experience as Director-General of Peter Obi’s presidential campaign in the last election, Osuntokun said the Obidient Movement predated Obi’s involvement with the Labour Party.

“In the last campaign season, when I was the DG of the presidential campaign council, there is a fact that people may not—well, people should know: Obidient Movement actually preceded Obi’s movement into the Labour Party.

“So it has been functioning, you know, in that capacity.

“The Obidient Movement itself, you know, evolved, you know, from the—I think the National Union of Students, that crisis that pitted the students against the state, in which unfortunately some students lost their life. EndSARS, yes, EndSARS protests, something like that. That was, I think, where the Obidient Movement evolved from.”

Osuntokun also defended the position of the OK Movement that it is independent of the NDC, saying support groups can include members of different political parties.

“I think the OK Movement, you know, they are correct to take that position. I mean, they are independent of the party structures.

“I mean, for instance, you may have members from ADC, APC, and other parties. You can have them in the OK Movement if, for instance, the other parties don’t want to vote for the presidential candidate of the other parties.

“So that is even a scenario to stress, you know, the independence of the OK Movement.”

However, he said NDC members who belong to such support groups remain subject to the party’s rules and disciplinary measures.

“The only area where they are dependent is the membership of the NDC, in which case the officials of the NDC can then take punitive actions against them—that’s if they are members of NDC.

“So that is the, for me, as far as I can see, that is the onus. They are correct to say they are independent of NDC, and there will be more, you know, there are likely to be more of such groups as we go on, the more the merrier.”

Osuntokun attributed part of the controversy to what he described as a delay in constituting the NDC’s presidential campaign council.

“But, you know, having said that, I think what is—Look, the party itself, the delay in constituting the party’s campaign council is what this position of the OK has played into.

“The NDC, as far as I can see, ought to by now have constituted its presidential campaign council. It is that vacuum, you know, that the OK Movement is moving into.

“If the NDC has constituted the official presidential campaign council, whatever groups come up with its own, it’s of no essence really; they have no reason, you know, to worry about support groups.

“They are not competing with the established structures of the party; I would think that they are complementary to the established structures in the party.”

He further explained the position of NDC members participating in the support groups.

“But having said that, as I said earlier, if these guys are members of the NDC, then they are subject to the discipline and the regulations of the party, in which case the party hierarchy may now choose to punish them—suspension of membership or whatever—because they have the legal right, to the extent that their membership of NDC, they have to abide by rules and regulations of the NDC.”

On whether Peter Obi could address any concerns the NDC may have over the activities of the support groups, Osuntokun said the presidential candidate could intervene if the party hierarchy believes the groups are undermining its structures.

“I don’t think why that should be the case. Look, the presidential candidate, I mean, that they are supporting, he can—If the NDC hierarchy is disturbed by the OK Movement or any other support group like the Obidient Movement, talk to their presidential candidate, you know, and ask him, request him to talk to these other support groups if they are doing anything that they believe distracts from the legitimacy of the NDC hierarchy.

“That’s the role he can play.

“But it’s a very tricky situation. I mean, ordinarily, as I said, you know, if the purpose of the movement or other support groups, you know, is to get Peter Obi across the presidential election line, then the more the merrier. That’s the way I see it, but in terms of exercising influence and control over the support groups, that falls squarely, you know, on the lap of the presidential candidate himself.

“In any case, look, you should also recall earlier there has been some sort of conflict over this issue earlier on, when the Obidient Movement was also claiming ownership, sort of claiming ownership of Peter Obi more than the NDC.

“So that had happened earlier, they can manage it the same way. I’m sure that there are people who are not members of NDC who will be supporting that ticket.

“So that is the way they should—I don’t see any reason why they should feel concerned about any outside group, you know, constituting the campaign council.

“But if they are agitated about it and they want something done about it, that onus falls on their presidential candidate, you know, to talk to those support movements.”

On the broader question of the relationship between political parties and support groups, Osuntokun said the existence of independent groups should not necessarily be viewed as a conflict with formal party structures.

“So, again, I think the argument, the balance of the argument is in favor, you know, of any independent—The word ‘independent’, you know, has clarified the situation.

“When you are independent of an institution, a campaign council, that means that you are not responsible to that party. That is the meaning of it, but that also presupposes—that does not include what can be defined as conflict, as having the existence of the support group, in this case the OK Movement, if it can be argued that it is in conflict.” (AriseNews TV)