Supporters of the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, in Anambra State, have clarified their recent endorsement of Governor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for a second term, saying the move was based on performance and not a betrayal of the Obidient Movement.
The clarification follows reactions from Dr. Yunusa Tanko, a national leader of the Obidient Movement, who dismissed the endorsement and reaffirmed support for the Labour Party’s governorship candidate in the forthcoming Anambra election, Dr. George Moghalu.
However, the Anambra chapter of the movement, led by Hon. Ikenna Azomchine, popularly known as The Obidient General, defended their position in a statement, describing it as “a conscious, value-driven, and legitimate decision anchored on competence, integrity, and visible performance.”
According to Azomchine, “The endorsement of Professor Chukwuma Soludo by the majority of Anambra Obidients is neither fraudulent nor misleading. It reflects the collective will of over 80% of Anambra-based Obidients after open consultations and performance assessments.”
He stressed that the Obidient Movement was not created to promote blind party loyalty but to uphold good governance and accountability, principles he said Governor Soludo embodies through visible development across the state.
“We have seen the roads being built, the schools revived, the hospitals upgraded, and the state stabilized under Soludo’s leadership. To interrupt that progress in the name of partisan solidarity would be an insult to reason and progress,” the statement read.
Azomchine also faulted Dr. Tanko’s claim of leadership over the movement, insisting that the Obidient Movement operates as a decentralized citizens’ platform not tied to any political party.
“There was no official or collective meeting of the Obidient Movement that endorsed Dr. George Moghalu or any other governorship candidate in Anambra. What occurred was a Labour Party affair, not a Movement-wide decision,” he stated.
He maintained that the Obidient Movement’s allegiance remains to principles of merit, competence, and accountability, values that align with both Peter Obi’s philosophy and Soludo’s governance record in Anambra.
