The Obidients Movement, a group comprising supporters of Peter Obi, Presidential Candidate of Labour Party in the 2023 elections, has advocated electoral reforms to ensure a free and fair election in 2027.
Yunusa Tanko, coordinator of the movement, stated this in Lagos while speaking at the Labour Party stakeholder meeting organized by Hon. Seyi Sowunmi, a Labour Party member in the House of Representatives.
According to him, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is overwhelmed with a lot of responsibilities, and the Uwais Electoral report should be adopted to pave the way for free and fair elections in Nigeria.
He said, “The electoral reform is supposed to address who becomes the chairman of INEC, knowing fully well that what is happening now is state capture. Already, INEC, not the police, has been captured. We are talking about INEC, which may soon announce a new chairman if the office of the incumbent elapses.
“We are also discussing the judiciary, which has been captured in a way. What we are interested in is an electoral reform that can provide free and fair elections for all Nigerians, irrespective of religion, tribe, or origin. When the electoral reform is corrected, we may finally achieve the credible elections we want.
“Remember, we have always been advocating that the Uwais Electoral report should be made sacrosanct because it states that INEC should be unbound to three entities: electoral enforcement agencies, a delineation commission, and the electoral body itself.
“As we speak right now, INEC is overwhelmed with work. We need to have this electoral process unbundled, meaning that anyone who will be INEC chairman should be chosen through a transparent process where the judicial council selects and nominates for the President to appoint. We don’t want the current situation where things are hidden, allowing the President to dictate who he wants. We, the Obedients, will seriously advocate for Nigerians to have free and fair elections.”
On the party’s internal crisis, Lagos State Labour Party gubernatorial candidate during the 2023 elections, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, stated that every political party in the world has its challenges.
He said, “There is no political party without its issues. Politics is a contact sport. You see what’s happening with the APC, and the same goes for the PDP. We have our challenges in the Labour Party, but what matters most is that we are willing to come together. We are seeking a political solution to our issues, and this activity today is about bringing everyone together.
“It’s a celebration because every time you hear about the Labour Party recently, it seems to be in a negative light, as if we are always fighting. But today, we are not fighting. We are happy, we are united, and that is the purpose of what we are doing here today. In the end, we don’t want to win any victory if the house is divided. A divided house can never stand.”
