FORMER presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has unveiled an online registration portal along with identity cards for members of his ‘Obidient Movement’, both within and outside Nigeria.
The announcement was made in a joint statement issued by the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Yunusa Tanko, and the Director of Strategic Communications and Media, Nana Kazaure, on Saturday, April 26.
The statement highlighted that the goal is to demonstrate firsthand the embodiment of the Obidient Movement’s spirit of diversity, camaraderie, and unity, showcasing the widespread impact of its message.
It explained that the identity card, featuring a QR code in the bottom right-hand corner for authentication, will display the flag of the country where the holder resides.
It partly read: “Obidient registration portal supports Nigerians and fellow Obidients living in the diaspora. You will observe that the ID has a flag on it. For example, if you’re not a resident in Nigeria, the top right-hand corner will carry the flag of your country of residence.
“The OBX is constant on the ID card. The Diasporan and Nigerian cards all start with the same prefix, which is the OBX.
The statement also mentioned that to provide Obidients with a secure and reliable way to connect, the QR code in the bottom right-hand corner is designed to authenticate the card, and it can be scanned with any QR scanner, such as a smartphone.
“So if you choose to support or do business with an Obidient, you can scan the QR code or verify the OBX ID online to confirm that the person is who and what they truly say they are and are who they truly claim to be,” it added.
The ICIR reports that the Obidient Movement began with young people who are known for their strong-willed, independent-minded nature and their disdain for older politicians, whom they believe have done nothing for them, starting in 2022.
Obi’s support base during the 2023 election was so strong across the country among the youths that it was termed a movement.
In 2023, former Ebonyi State governor and current Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, said the ‘Obedient’ political movement is anchored on equity, justice, and fairness.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues.