The Saturday March 30th 2024 Fitness Walk scheduled by the Obidient Movement in Edo State has suffered a serious setback as notable Labour Party faithfuls and Members of the Obidient Movement have dissociated themselves from the walk, alleging that the party primaries wherein the Edo LP Guber Candidate, Olumide Akpata emerged was characterised by fraud, corruption and bribery of Party delegates and that the walk was an attempt to exploit the ideals and image of the Obidient Movement to legitimise a fraud.
In a statement issued by a Labour Party Governorship Aspirant and prominent member of the Obidient Movement, Hon. Chief Ezehi MD Igbas and made available to newsmen, the Chieftain who is a former Labour Party Candidate for the House of Representative, to represent Esan North East, Esan South East Federal Constituency and a former Minority Whip, Edo State House of Assembly described the planned fitness walk as farce and that the process through which Olumide Akpata emerged as Candidate was the exact opposite of what the Obidient Movement stood for:
“Setting the record straight is also very crucial, to state that the Labour Party Governorship candidate was chosen through primaries marked by dishonesty, fraud, and largely fabricated delegates—exactly the opposite of what Obidient stands for.
He insisted that as a major stakeholder in the Obidient project, neither him nor his supporters will be part of this farce, which aims to deceive the public into believing that the LP governorship candidate is an Obidient project.
In a related development, a group known as “Edo Obidients” has also distanced itself from the scheduled walk. This was contained in a Press Conference held at the NUJ Secretariat in Benin City, the Edo State capital, on Saturday and widely made available to the press.
The group’s spokesperson, Ikhuenbor Figo insisted that the Labour Party has failed to impress as the alternative to the two main political parties in Nigeria.
The statement read in part; We completely disassociate ourselves from the Labour Party and its candidate for the Edo 2024 governorship campaign, their street rallies, and fitness walk.”
The statement also passed a vote of no confidence on the Edo LP primary election process, alleging that the leaders – both at the national and state working committees, the local government area, and ward executives were guilty in what it described as disgraceful and unpatriotic activities before, during and after the primaries.
It may be recalled that a faction of the Obidient Movement had earlier scheduled a fitness Walk for Saturday but has now formally postponed it citing religious celebrations(Easter and Ramadan) and alleged plot by those who betrayed the movement to sabotage the walk.
It is however strongly believed that the postponement is largely as a result of infighting within the ranks of the Party and the Obidient Movement in the aftermath of the highly divisive Edo State Governorship Primaries of the Labour Party.