The Director General of the Labour Party’s (LP) Directorate of Mobilization and Integration (DMI), Marcel Ngogbehei, has urged former presidential candidate Peter Obi to reconsider his role in the Obidient Movement, stressing that a political movement thrives only when it is built and supported by those who sustain it.

Ngogbehei, in a statement on Saturday, noted that the movement, which gained prominence ahead of the 2023 elections, was established by independent support groups and volunteers long before Obi formally joined the LP.

Ngogbehei, who claimed to be the founding Chairman of the Coalition for Peter Obi (CPO) and a pioneer of the Obidient Movement, recalled major mobilisation efforts, including nationwide rallies and leadership summits, which were funded entirely by volunteers who believed in creating an alternative political platform.

The comments come in the wake of the resignation of Morris Monye, a prominent Obidient mobiliser, who cited challenges including a lack of support and coordination within the movement.

Ngogbehei suggested that Monye’s experience revealed bigger issues regarding leadership direction, appointment processes, and funding mechanisms.

He said, “In May 2022, over a dozen independent support groups came together under the Coalition for Peter Obi.

“Peter Obi did not donate a kobo to that historic effort because early rallies, logistics, and nationwide mobilisations were powered by ordinary Nigerians who believed in a new political alternative.”

He added that even the Global Obidient March in February 2023, which drew huge crowds across Nigeria and the diaspora, was executed with no central funding, adding that many volunteers are still in debt from donations made in anticipation of future reimbursements that never came.

Ngogbehei criticised Obi’s decision in 2024 to appoint new leaders for the movement without consulting foundational groups.

Among those appointments was Dr. Yunusa Tanko, whose selection he described as unrepresentative.

“The Obidient Movement remains underfunded, leaderless in function, and driven by the same unpaid volunteers who carried it on their backs from the beginning,” he added.

While affirming that he holds no personal grievance against Obi, Ngogbehei called for a return to democratic, bottom-up leadership structures within the movement.

He recommended greater transparency in resource management, clear communication with founding groups, and the reinforcement of core values beyond electoral campaigns.

He noted that while the movement has been “abandoned by those who should have lifted it,” it is not too late to reclaim its founding ideals. You can’t kill what you didn’t create.”

While describing the Obidient Movement as wounded but not beyond recovery, he said movements that endure are people-owned, people-funded, and people-led.