2023: “Obidients” Shut down Calabar

By Stanley Ekpenyong, Calabar

Calabar, the sleepy capital of Cross River state was literally on lockdown on Saturday as thousands of supporters of the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 Presidential election, Peter Obi, known as “Obidients”,  staged a mega rally in the city.

The rally brought vehicular movements to a standstill in major roads round the city.

The supporters sang different solidarity songs, including, “with Obi Nigeria go betta”, “Na Obi we know”, Na Obi we go follow”, Na ” Obi we go vote for”  as they marched along.

Though an APC State, Obi’s support base in Cross River has burgeoned in the past months.

Many APC Chieftains and supporters in the State, including some political appointees, offended by the emergence of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the Party’s Presidential Candidate, openly drum support for Obi.

They vow to vote Obi in the presidential election and APC in the other elections.

Obi dumped the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in late May, just before the PDP Presidential Primary, and pitched his tent with the Labour Party, LP, at the time, a virtually unknown Political Party.

But since Obi, the Party has an unprecedented new lease of life, spreading like wild fire in a harmattan, and now ranked among the three biggest Parties in Nigeria.