The Abia State chapter of the Obidient Movement planned a one-million-man march to commemorate the 64th birthday of the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi.
According to a release from Dr Chibuzor Obiesili, one of the state’s coordinators of the Obidient Movement, and Mr Christian Emmanuel, Head of the Media & Publicity Subcommittee, the procession will take place simultaneously in Umuahia, the state capital; Aba, the commercial nerve centre; Ohafia town; and Uzuakoli in Bende.
It stated that the national march, which is slated for July 19 at 10 a.m., will include a visit to motherless baby homes, hospitals, and jails to empathise with the inmates.
According to the statement, the meeting locations for the road march in Abia are Okpara Square in Umuahia, the Osisioma Flyover in Aba, Practising School in Uzuakoli, Bende, and the Ohafia Central Field beside the Presbyterian Church, next to Union Bank in Elu Ohafia.
It stated that Obidients and friends “who cut across different political, ethnic, and religious backgrounds decided to celebrate a selfless man who has relentlessly spoken up for the masses”.
Obi, who dominated Nigeria’s political landscape in 2023 when he ran for president, was born on July 19, 1961.
His unexpected effect, dubbed the ‘Obi wave’, transformed the political calculus in many parts of the country, knocking many prominent political office holders out of power and elevating underdogs to prominence.
The former Anambra State Governor completed his secondary school at Christ the King College in Onitsha. He eventually went to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), where he studied philosophy and graduated in 1984.
He also attended the famed Harvard Business School, Lagos Business School, and the International Institute for Management Development in Switzerland, among others.
Obi, who finished third in the 2023 presidential election, according to INEC results, recently joined the “organic coalition movement”, which has formally adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as its platform for the 2027 general elections.
The former banker and advocate for converting Nigeria from a ‘consumption economy to a producing one’ stated that his decision to join the opposition coalition was difficult but important to save the country from political locusts.
“Obi believes that to dismantle the structures that keep our people in poverty and insecurity, we must build bridges and not walls even when those bridges are difficult,” the release said.
Obi has also declared his desire to serve for a single term and build the groundwork for a new and improved Nigeria if given the opportunity in 2027, as well as his belief in power rotation between the North and South.
The release said the “unsolicited birthday march is meant to encourage Obi that the masses whose cause he has consistently championed fully identify with all that he represents and stands for”.
It read in part: “The Obidient Movement and the Nigerian masses have decided to celebrate Mr Peter Obi because of his antecedents and persistent advocacy for good governance, probity and accountability.
” His fans from different political, religious and ethnic backgrounds have decided to celebrate a rare patriot and detribalised Nigeria who believes in Nigeria first. He has remained passionate about rebuilding the country and making it globally competitive.”
“Obi continues to hold sway as a shining light, a beacon of hope for the youths and the real face of a New Nigeria,” the release concluded.
