Ex-Obi campaign officials launch group, endorse Tinubu for 2027
- Former members of Peter Obi's 2023 campaign council launched a group called Batified Obedients in Abuja on Wednesday.
- The group said it has adopted the APC as its vehicle and endorsed President Bola Tinubu for a second term.
- It acknowledged economic hardship but said it sees direction in the government's reforms.
A group of people who worked on Peter Obi's 2023 presidential campaign has announced it is now backing President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2027 election.
The group, which calls itself Batified Obedients, made the declaration at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, where it formally launched its platform.
Its national coordinator, Adesina Fagbenro-Byron, a former director of operations in the Obidient Movement, wrote the keynote address. It was read on his behalf by deputy coordinator Fabian Ozoigbo Chukwudoruo, who handled logistics for the Obi-Datti campaign council.
According to the address, the group's members came from all 36 states and backed Obi in 2023 because they believed he offered a break from the old way of doing things.
Why the group says it switched
Looking back at the campaign, the group said it saw problems in how talent was managed, how differences were handled and how internal disputes were left unresolved. It said many volunteer professionals around the campaign were never fully used.
The address said the group respects those still with Obi and the Labour Party, and noted that some former supporters have since moved to the ADC or the NDC.
On the economy, the group said the hardship Nigerians are facing is real and that hunger and the cost of living have hit households hard. But it argued that the government's reforms have a clear direction, pointing to the end of heavy annual spending to keep petrol cheap, more money going to states and local governments, lower debt service as a share of revenue, stronger reserves and easing inflation.
It also listed the Electricity Act, the Supreme Court ruling upholding local government financial autonomy, student loans, growth in local fertiliser production and the spread of military formations as steps in the right direction.
The group said it wants to see the infrastructure work led by Ministers David Umahi and Festus Keyamo completed, and the reforms in solid minerals under Minister Dele Alake.
It endorsed Tinubu for a second term and extended its support to Vice-President Kashim Shettima, saying he has shown he can work as part of a team.
What happens next
The group said it will reach out to former colleagues and undecided voters, paying particular attention to states where the opposition did well in 2023, and will work with the APC and other pro-Tinubu groups.
It also asked all levels of government to build a reliable social register in every local government area so that welfare programmes reach the Nigerians who need them most.
The 2027 general election is still more than a year away, and no official timetable has been announced. Support groups like this one can help with mobilisation, but they do not decide party tickets or votes.
