A fresh crisis has hit the Obidient Movement, a group that backed Peter Obi in the 2023 presidential election, following the resignation of its Director of Finance, Dr Peter Agada.
Agada announced his resignation on Wednesday in Abuja, where he also unveiled a new platform, The Movement Nigeria, signalling a possible shift in the coalition that supported Obi’s presidential bid. He attributed his decision to what he described as poor structure and coordination within the movement.
Explaining his exit, Agada maintained it was not driven by personal grievances. He said, “I resigned my position as the Director of Finance of the Obidient Movement about three days ago and sent a letter to the headquarters that I was no longer going to continue in that role based on all the points we’ve mentioned here.
“This meeting is being held here today because it is my facility. It is the product of my hard-earned labour, and if I am championing a new move, it has to be in my house. After all, they say charity begins at home.
“I’m sorry to say that the lack of structure (in Obidient Movement) does not fit with my personality and the way I have grown as an architect of repute for the last 30 years.
“They have not been informing me of meetings and activities for a while now. You can imagine a director of finance in an organisation not knowing where or what is happening.”
Despite stepping down, he declined to confirm whether he would continue supporting Obi or align with other political figures ahead of the 2027 elections, including Bola Tinubu.
“In essence, we are not supporting one particular person. I said it in my speech earlier. The Movement Nigeria is not built on any personality. It is not for Asiwaju, Obi or Atiku,” he said.
On his relationship with Obi, Agada clarified that it was strictly professional.
“I have no personal relationship with Mr Peter Obi. Obi has been here in this building at a point when the Big Tent had its retreat sometime in July last year. That was actually the second physical contact I had with him.
“But I had operated as his Director of Finance for the Obidient Movement for more than a year now, and I carried out my function as much as I could. And most of the time, supporting, personally speaking.
“So, aside from being his director of finance, I have no personal relationship with him,” he explained.
Addressing funding concerns, he dismissed claims of external sponsorship, insisting the new platform would rely on collective contributions.
“Any movement that is being bankrolled by an individual can be completely shut down and destroyed by other individuals. This movement is currently being funded by some of us seated here today. The funding structure is a democratised one and not by any big man from somewhere.
“So, there is absolutely nobody who is funding Movement Nigeria. As a worker, are you happy with your takeover or welfare? If you are not, then you should be part of this movement because it is not funded by a single individual.”
Reacting, the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Yunusa Tanko, expressed disappointment but downplayed the development, noting ongoing efforts to restructure the group.
“The fact is that we are trying to revamp and restructure the movement. What we want to do is to have a collegiate affair instead of running this kind of directorate thing where somebody will say he is not part of this or that. So, the collegiate is what we have now.
“Again, it is an electioneering year. If political parties and governors can be bought by the moneybags, anything can happen. At least, we can now know who is real and who is not.
“We don’t want to join issues with Agada. As far as we are concerned, we are still together. I have not had any complaint about him leaving or being kicked out.”
Tanko added that he had not received any formal resignation letter and suggested political movements are expected as 2027 approaches.
“The Obidient Movement is a sacrifice. Some of us have been doing a lot, but we chose to stay together till the end.”
The development highlights growing internal tensions within the movement as political realignments ahead of the next election cycle begin to take shape, raising concerns about its cohesion and future direction.
