The Presidential candidate of Labour party in the February 25 presidential election, Peter Obi, has written an open letter to his teaming supporters better known as ‘’Obidient”.
In his letter, Obi recognized that most of them have suffered ‘’vituperations, physical attacks, loss of rights and privileges, hateful trolls, indignities and vexatious fighting words” and that these attacks have come from people they have ‘’long regarded as civic leaders and conscience of our nation”.
He stated that he and Datti and are with the Obedients and that they should see the ‘’attacks ‘’as the sacrifices required to create a new Nigeria, where justice, equity, fairness, love, and prosperity shall reign.
He said he and his team are using all lawful and peaceful means allowed under Nigeria’s laws and constitution to ‘’reclaim their mandate.”
He wrote the open letter days after Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka described his supporters popularly known as Obidients as “one of the most repulsive, off-putting concoctions” he has ever encountered in any political arena.
Read the letter below
”My Obidients, a very happy Holy Month of Easter and Ramadan to you all. As we celebrate the Easter and look forward to a joyous Eid El Fitr, we pray for God Almighty’s guidance, protection and blessings as we face and pass through litany of challenges in our dear country, Nigeria- flawed electoral processes, insecurity, weak institutions, multidimensional poverty, unemployment, inflation, lack of justice, fairness, equity, opportunities and many more.
As we reflect on these challenges and look forward to a New Nigeria that is POssible, Datti and I are painfully mindful that for the mere reason of being OBIdient, most of you have suffered vituperations, physical attacks, loss of rights and privileges, hateful trolls, indignities and vexatious fighting words, even from some of those we long regarded as civic leaders and conscience of our nation. Please bear such attacks as the sacrifices that we are all required to make in order to create a New Nigeria, where justice, equity, fairness, love and prosperity shall reign.
Be assured that Datti and I are with you, and that the ongoing unfortunate orchestrated efforts to demarket and delegitimize the OBIdient Movement will fail. We are fully structured and have remained focused and steadfast in addressing the ills in our nation; while underpinning the supremacy of our Constitution and imperatives of the rule of law. Do not relent; and do not be lured into unnecessary conflicts. Be assured that in the fullness of time, our mission to rescue Nigeria from those engaged in State Capture will come to fruition.
We are also using all lawful and peaceful means allowed under our laws and constitution to reclaim our mandate to create a New Nigeria that is POssible. Therefore, in all your actions and inactions, I continue to implore you to be law abiding, respectful and peaceful.
In all you do, always remember those immortal words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jnr, that “The true measure of a man is not how he behaves in moments of comfort and convenience, but how he stands at times of controversy and challenges”. A New Nigeria is Indeed POssible.
God bless you all, and bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.” he wrote