Obidient Movement Tells Melaye To Allow Nigerians Determine Peter Obi’s Presidential Bid

By Ayodele Oni 

The Obidient Movement has criticised former senator Dino Melaye saying he lacks understanding of Nigeria’s political landscape.

In a statement issued on Friday, the group said that while it acknowledged Melaye’s description of Peter Obi as a “fantastic Nigerian” and a “great man,” it strongly disagreed with his assertion that the former Anambra State governor lacks the capacity to unite the country.

According to the movement, the claim that Obi “lacks the ability to unify Nigeria” and that “this is not his time” fails to reflect the growing support among Nigerians for a different political direction.

In the statement signed by its National Coordinator, Yunusa Tanko, the movement said Melaye’s comments represent “a tired refrain from a political establishment that has long presided over the very divisions it now claims to be the sole solution for.”

“The notion that a candidate’s ‘time’ is something to be determined by political gatekeepers, rather than by the urgency of a nation’s needs, is precisely the thinking that has held Nigeria captive for decades,” the statement said.

The group argued that such views mirror what it called the mindset of an entrenched political establishment that has contributed to the divisions it now claims to be capable of resolving.

It further maintained that the notion that a candidate’s “time” should be determined by political elites, rather than by the urgent needs of the country reflects the same thinking that has, in its view, slowed Nigeria’s political and economic progress for decades.

The movement pointed out that the key issue is not whether it is Obi’s turn to lead, but whether Nigerians are ready to move away from what it described as cycles of ineffective leadership, economic stagnation and national disunity.

Highlighting Obi’s political appeal, the group cited the outcome of the 2023 Nigerian presidential election as evidence of his ability to attract support across ethnic, regional and religious divides.

It added that the broad coalition that rallied around Obi’s candidacy during the election reflected a growing national movement seeking unity and more productive governance.

It concluded that for many Nigerians seeking change, the question is not whether it is Obi’s time, but whether it is time for the country to break free from what it described as failed leadership and persistent national divisions.

Melaye has since denied the remarks.