Peter Obi Denounces Arrest of Obidient Coordinator in Akwa Ibom

Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, condemned the alleged arrest of Ben Smith, the Obidient Movement coordinator for Akwa Ibom State. The arrest reportedly occurred while Smith was facilitating the release of Obidient Movement members, including Elijah Noah, who had been arrested earlier.

In a statement posted on 𝕏, Obi asserted that Nigerians should be able to express their political affiliations without fear, as long as they act within the law. He described the situation as a threat to freedom and stated that the arrests should concern every Nigerian who values democracy and freedom.

Obi emphasized that independence is meaningless without genuine freedom and criticized individuals who transition from fighting injustice to defending oppression once in power. He called for Nigeria's independence to translate into freedom from fear, injustice, intolerance, and abuse of power, asserting that the country should belong to all citizens, regardless of their political affiliations.