The Obidient Movement has strongly denied what it calls planned marketing tactics to defame Peter Obi. It says that the former Labour Party presidential candidate is still focused on being accountable, serving, and getting Nigerians out of poverty.
Dr. Yunusa Tanko, the group’s national organizer, made a long statement on X accusing paid agents of spreading lies and misinformation to damage Obi’s reputation. He said that Nigerians were “wiser now” and could tell the difference between truth and lies.
Tanko explained the disagreement after a visit to senior politician Afe Babalola in December 2024, during which the defamation case involving activist Dele Farotimi was brought up.
He asserted that the Ooni of Ife stepped in and dropped the matter, not because Obi begged them to, as some detractors have said.
Tanko wrote, “Peter Obi does not attack people personally, and he does not condone them.”
He went on to say that Obi had merely shown worry about the activist’s arrest and detention. He also said that Obi had stuck to his long-held belief that resources should be directed toward education, healthcare, and empowering young people than of patronage or inducements politics.
The statement also fought back against claims that Obi was involved in the controversial “Yes Daddy” tape leak and a WhatsApp broadcast that was said to be against Lagos. Tanko said that there was “no credible evidence” linking Obi or his accomplices to these events.
Tanko turned to the economics and said that new information from the Debt Management Office showed that Nigeria’s debt climbed from ₦144.67 trillion at the end of 2024 to ₦149.38 trillion in the first quarter of 2025. He accused his opponents of manipulating the facts to fit their own bogus stories.
“They don’t mean anything to Nigerians who are sick of lies, corruption, and manipulation,” he remarked. Bringing up Obi’s name is just a way to get attention.
Tanko said that the Obidient Movement would keep standing for the truth over lies, service over greed, and facts over made-up stories.
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