*As Supporters Say They Are Simply Holding Government Accountable

The Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has launched a scathing attack on supporters of former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, describing them as “monsters” and warning that their conduct could ultimately undermine his political ambitions ahead of the 2027 general elections.

In a series of posts on X on Sunday, Dabiri-Erewa said Obi bears direct responsibility for the actions of his supporters, popularly known as Obidients, and predicted that they would ironically become his political downfall if he does not bring them under control.

However, the characterisation has been rejected by Obi’s supporters, who argue that the movement is largely composed of young Nigerians who are passionate about holding government officials accountable and demanding better governance and that it is precisely this accountability function that makes government officials uncomfortable enough to label them “monsters” and “toxic.”

Dabiri-Erewa’s attack was unsparing in its language.

“Peter Obi has actually raised monsters. By God’s grace Tinubu will win the 2027 elections. When it’s the turn of the South-East and who knows, if the lot falls on him, I hope he knows that these obingos/Obidients will ironically be his downfall. He needs to call them to order,” the NiDCOM chairman wrote on her X account.

She doubled down in subsequent posts, insisting that the behaviour of Obi’s supporters could ultimately harm his political prospects if left unchecked.

“They will eventually be Peter Obi’s downfall if he does not call them to order,” Dabiri-Erewa added in response to another user’s comment.

The clash was triggered by Obidients’ reactions to Dabiri-Erewa’s earlier post about a visit to Silicon Valley, California, where she met Nigerian professionals and rode in a driverless car.

“While in Silicon Valley, California, I met with incredible Nigerian professionals with a passion to contributing to Nigeria’s growth. I could not leave Silicon Valley without a ride in a driverless car. Special thanks to Kunle Adeyemo for the ride and the tour,” Dabiri-Erewa had tweeted.

Obi’s supporters responded to the post with criticism a pattern that has become familiar for government officials who post about foreign trips and activities while many Nigerians face economic hardship at home. The criticism prompted Dabiri-Erewa’s explosive response.

Dabiri-Erewa defended her decision to engage critics online, rejecting the suggestion that her role as a government official should prevent her from responding to attacks on social media.

“This is my personal account. You can hack it again if you so wish. So because I’m a public official, I should keep quiet to Rada Rada rede rede of Peter Obi’s toxic Obidients?” she wrote.

The reference to hacking suggests the NiDCOM chairman’s account may have been compromised at some point in the past a claim that, if true, would add context to her frustration with online critics.

The Obidient movement emerged during the 2023 presidential election campaign as an organic, largely youth-driven support base for Peter Obi’s presidential candidacy. The movement drew its strength from young Nigerians many of them tech-savvy professionals, students, and first-time voters who were disillusioned with the APC and PDP establishments and saw Obi as a candidate who represented competence, accountability, and a break from the old order.

Since the 2023 election, the Obidient movement has evolved into one of the most active online political constituencies in Nigeria, known primarily for holding government officials accountable on social media. Members of the movement routinely scrutinise government spending, challenge official narratives, question the activities and foreign trips of public officials, and demand transparency from those in power.

It is this accountability function the willingness to challenge government officials directly and publicly on their use of public resources and their performance in office — that has made the movement a source of constant irritation for administration officials and APC supporters.

Obidients argue that what government officials call “toxicity” and “monstrous behaviour” is simply the exercise of the constitutional right to free expression and the civic duty to hold public servants accountable.

Dabiri-Erewa’s declaration that “by God’s grace Tinubu will win the 2027 elections” positions her comments squarely as partisan political speech rather than the observation of a neutral government official.

Her acknowledgment that it may one day be “the turn of the South-East” to produce the president — and that “the lot may fall” on Obi at that time — is a notable admission from a government official that South-Eastern Nigeria has a legitimate claim to the presidency in the future, even as she attacks Obi’s current support base.

The remark also suggests a political calculation that neutralising the Obidient movement’s effectiveness could reduce the opposition’s capacity to challenge the APC in 2027 — a concern that has been expressed by several government officials and ruling party figures who view the movement’s online activism as a significant threat to the ruling party’s messaging.

Peter Obi has since moved from the Labour Party to the African Democratic Congress, where he is one of three leading contenders for the presidential ticket alongside former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Governor Rotimi Amaechi.

Obi polled over 6 million votes in the 2023 presidential election, winning Lagos State and several other states in a performance that defied political predictions. His support base the Obidients was widely credited as the driving force behind his electoral showing, particularly among young urban voters and diaspora Nigerians.

Whether the Obidient movement will prove to be the political asset or liability that Dabiri-Erewa predicts remains one of the most contested questions in Nigerian politics ahead of 2027.

Dabiri-Erewa’s clash with Obidients is part of a recurring pattern of confrontations between government officials and Obi’s online supporters. Several ministers, presidential aides, and APC officials have previously clashed with Obidients on social media, often over posts about foreign trips, government achievements, or political commentary.

The pattern suggests that the Obidient movement’s strategy of directly challenging government officials on their social media platforms is effective enough to provoke public responses responses that often generate more attention and controversy than the original posts that triggered them.

For the Obidients, being called “monsters” by a government official is unlikely to discourage their activism. If anything, such characterisations tend to energise the movement and reinforce its self-image as a citizen accountability force that makes those in power uncomfortable precisely because it demands answers to questions they would rather not face.

For Dabiri-Erewa and the government, the challenge remains how to engage with legitimate criticism from an increasingly vocal and digitally empowered citizenry without resorting to language that may alienate the very demographic young, educated, globally connected Nigerians that Nigeria needs most for its development.

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