The Director of News at Arise Television, Sumner Sambo, has said the Obidient Movement has grown beyond the political ambition of the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi.
According to him, the former Anambra State governor cannot provide the level of leadership the movement now requires.
Sambo made the remarks during an appearance on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Wednesday, where he urged Obi to transform the movement into a properly structured political organisation capable of surviving beyond any individual ambition, NEWSNGR reports.
He noted that the Obidient Movement has become a force that should not be tied solely to Obi’s presidential aspiration.
Sambo compared the Obidient Movement to the historic Zikist Movement, a nationalist group that supported Nigeria’s first President, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, during the 1940s and 1950s.
He argued that the movement could continue to exist even if Obi does not become Nigeria’s president in 2027.
“The Obidient movement is greater than Peter Obi himself. If I were Peter Obi, I would look for a way to structure it above my ambition,” Sambo said.
He maintained that the greatest challenge facing the movement is the absence of a solid political structure.
According to the veteran journalist, many young Nigerians who identify with the Obidient Movement remain passionate about political change but lack the organisational framework needed to sustain their momentum.
“The major problem here is the organizational issues we have in politics, and I can tell you it’s a very huge challenge.
“But the thing is that there’s so much fire in this group of young Nigerians, and they need proper political organisation,” he said.
Sambo, however, expressed doubt over Obi’s ability to provide the kind of leadership needed to organise the movement effectively.
“And I’m sorry to say, Peter Obi is not someone who can give them that leadership, because what they are seeking is actually greater than Obi himself,” he added.
Sambo also referred to the resignation of Comrade Isaac Balami, a former Deputy Campaign Manager of the Obi/Datti Presidential Campaign Organisation, saying the development reflected unresolved issues within the movement.
According to him, Balami’s public comments suggested there were shortcomings in the management of campaign funds and overall campaign strategy during the 2023 general election.
“It is that bitterness that made someone like the former Deputy Campaign Manager for the Obi/Datti Presidential Campaign, Comrade Isaac Balami, to leave.
“He had to leave because, from what he said, you see the pain that from the funding of the Obidient movement to the campaign strategies, there were some loopholes that were not filled,” Sambo stated.
Sambo further criticised Obi for allegedly failing to bring members of the movement together after the 2023 presidential election.
He said the absence of a post-election review meeting denied supporters the opportunity to assess the campaign, strengthen internal unity and chart a way forward.
“And after the 2023 elections, Obi did not call for a post-election analysis meeting to unite this group and keep them at hand,” he said.
