Amid an internal crisis, two top diaspora officials have quit the Obidient Movement, accusing the Peter Obi support group of mismanagement and describing it as “a broken vehicle at a dead end.”

In a joint statement dated October 10, David Ogula, Obidient Movement director of Diaspora Engagement, and Bolanle Emiabata Anibaba, co-director of the Movement in the Diaspora, both announced their resignation from the group.

“Given a series of manipulative and self-destructive events, we, the undersigned, have decided to decouple ourselves from the present configuration of the structure of the ‘Obidient Movement’ and its ‘directorate,’” the duo said in the statement.

Messrs Ogula and Anibaba said they “consistently insist that the diaspora should not be treated as a cash cow. A carefully planned framework to establish local structures to build a formidable force for good was subverted by pedestrian antics. Lacking an understanding of the legal requirements for operating a cross-border non-profit organization, some proffered a dysfunctional, opaque setup that stripped the diaspora of its legal autonomy and obstructed its ability to operate within the laws and regulations of the countries Nigerians have adopted. Ultimately, it became clear that we had been riding on a dirt road in a broken vehicle and had come to a dead end.”

According to the statement, the duo said they joined the Obidient Movement to help structure the organisation. “We did so with unwavering commitment, driven by a shared vision of a new Nigeria founded on the values of character, integrity, accountability, inclusivity, fairness, and justice.

“However, in the course of establishing the structure, we experienced attitudes that belied the florid public rhetoric. Instead, we were exposed to the default dysfunctional approach to doing things among Nigerians — petty tricks and vagueness. What emerged was a fragmented, deep structure with personal opinions that served as theology. These dysfunctional attitudes call into question our credibility and the reasons for our initial involvement,” the statement added.

For Messrs Ogula and Anibaba, the Obidient Movement’s “atmosphere was characterized by a persistent toxic culture, symbols, performances, and behaviors that contradicted the ideals Nigerians were asked to uphold. Every facet of the organisation, from top to bottom, was marred by a casual and ad hoc approach to conducting business. What is viewed as a movement is a constellation of enthusiastic sycophants, servile followers, and, sadly, innocent Nigerians hanging on to hope. The movement appears to have been structured to attract pliant individuals.”

Mr Ogula confirmed that he and Mr Anibaba jointly released the statement when contacted on Saturday by Peoples Gazette. The coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Tanko Yunusa, also confirmed the statement when contacted on Saturday morning.

“You know in the normal formation of a movement, you’ll have disagreements. This is one of the normal things that happen within the system. The issues that they raised will be discussed and taken care of. We are reorganising the movement to give it more strength. So in that process, you will have some issues of resistance to change. We will have a meeting very soon on the matter, and everything that will strengthen the group will be resolved,” Mr Tanko said.

Asked about diaspora members being treated as “cash cows” in the movement, as raised in the joint statement, Mr Tanko said such could have happened in the past but not under his current leadership.

“All programmes done under my leadership have very little funding raised externally. Only one programme we did in Gombe and Maiduguri was supported by some of our groups,” Mr Tanko said.

He added, “What they raised was in the past when people donated monies to different groups. But I can tell you that at the moment, we are working on our account because we know what happened in the past. We are working on our account, so there is no donation from anybody from anywhere apart from those ones I mentioned.”

This comes after Morris Monye, the Obidient Movement’s Director of Mobilisation, revealed that a member of the movement in Edo State squandered a ₦1 million campaign fund kept in his trust on betting.

Mr Obi, a former governor of Anambra, gathered huge support and funding from young Nigerians both at home and in the diaspora during the 2023 presidential election.

After the 2023 election, however, accusations and counter-accusations of fund embezzlement have rocked the Movement, as members of a faction of his Labour Party and the Obidient Movement continue to trade blame.