- Obidient Movement on Thursday, April 2, announced a nationwide protest ‘to defend Nigeria’s democracy’
- INEC, on April 1, ‘removed’ ADC leadership, impacting opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections
- Criticism of INEC’s credibility is mounting as the Obidient Movement calls for decisive action in its statement
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering politics, elections, public affairs and governance in Nigeria and Africa.
FCT, Abuja – The Obidient Movement on Thursday, April 2, announced a nationwide protest, saying the action is aimed at ‘defending Nigeria’s democracy.’
The Obidient Movement is a sociopolitical group primarily supporting Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in Nigeria. Obi is presently a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Source: Twitter
In a statement, the opposition movement also urged Nigerians to “save” the country.
Legit.ng reports that the spectre of internal crisis that had weakened major opposition parties in the country ahead of the 2027 elections, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the LP, on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, made a dramatic appearance at the doorsteps of the ADC when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ordered the removal of the names of the ADC National Working Committee (NWC) led by David Mark from its official portal.
This is coming as a huge blow to the coalition-backed ADC nine months to the 2027 presidential election, and at a time the main opposition to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is witnessing a surge of high-profile defections to its fold, boosting the ADC’s chances ahead of the general elections.
Announcing this latest jolt on Wednesday, April 1, in a statement, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education committee, Mohammed Haruna, said after removing the names of Mark and Rauf Aregbesola from its official portal as national chairman and national secretary of the ADC respectively, it would not also recognise Nafiu Bala Gombe, who is seeking to be declared national chairman through the courts, insisting that doing so would prejudice the matter before the court.
The commission said it is suspending all dealings with contending factions of the party, pending the determination of an ongoing suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja and will refrain from monitoring any conventions or congresses organised by groups aligned with the affected leaders.
INEC stated that its decision follows the Court of Appeal’s ruling in Appeal No. CA/ABJ/145/2026 involving Senator David Mark and Nafiu Bala Gombe, as well as a flurry of conflicting legal communications from both camps over the party’s leadership. INEC said it would maintain the “status quo ante bellum”, the situation as it existed before the suit was filed on September 2, 2025, in line with the appellate court’s preservatory orders aimed at protecting the integrity of the substantive case.
Source: Twitter
Obidient Movement tackles INEC
Reacting to the development, Obidient Movement said it would not be quiet because “silence becomes dangerous and inaction becomes complicity.”
The group said in its statement:
“The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which should stand as an impartial guardian of the people’s will, is increasingly perceived as compromised under the present administration.
“At the same time, opposition voices appear to be under pressure in ways that raise serious concerns about the future of Nigeria’s multi-party democracy. When institutions lose credibility, the will of the people is endangered. And when that happens, citizens have a duty to act.”
The Obidient Movement added:
“In defence of these principles, we are commencing a nationwide peaceful protest, #OccupyINEC, starting immediately across all states and the Federal Capital Territory. This is a call to action grounded not in anger, but in duty — a collective effort to safeguard the democratic future of our country.
“In Abuja, participants will converge at the ADC National Headquarters. The date and time will be announced accordingly, from where a peaceful march will proceed to the INEC Headquarters. Across the nation, Obidients and all well-meaning Nigerians are encouraged to organise, mobilise, and participate in a coordinated and disciplined manner.”
The full statement from the Obidient Movement is available in the X post below.
Read more on Obidients:
Obidients’ stance on ADC coalition
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that members of the Obidient movement said they would not be part of any alliance if Obi is not its presidential flagbearer.
The campaign structure of the LP presidential candidate in the 2023 election maintained that any arrangements without Obi as the standard-bearer are dead on arrival.
For Obidients, ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar should support Obi.
Source: Legit.ng
