The Obidient Movement wishes to express its utmost displeasure and concern over the recent comments made by Mr. Felix Morka, the APC National Publicity Secretary, on Arise TV on January 5, 2025. His statement that “Mr. Peter Obi has crossed the line so many times and he has what’s coming to him, and whatever he gets, he should manage it,” is considered a direct threat to Mr. Obi’s life, and the peace of the Nigerian state.

We view this as not only an attack on Mr. Peter Obi but also a dangerous signal of Nigeria’s descent into authoritarianism under the current administration. Such a declaration from the spokesperson of the ruling party is reckless, unbecoming, and a blatant endorsement of violence.

Mr. Peter Obi’s commitment to Nigeria has been consistently demonstrated through his issue-based politics, his relentless pursuit of solutions to national challenges, and his respect for democratic principles. His New Year address, which critically evaluated the state of the nation and offered practical solutions, was devoid of personal attacks, hate, or incitement. It was a message of hope and a call for decisive action to rescue Nigeria.

WHO DREW THE LINE, AND WHAT LINE DID HE CROSS?

We demand answers to critical questions:

1. What line did Mr. Peter Obi cross?

2. Who drew this so-called line, and on what authority?

3. What specific statements or actions of his justify such an ominous threat?

4. What exactly is coming to him?

The Nigerian Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to freedom of expression and the protection of life. It is unacceptable that a government sworn to uphold these principles now seeks to silence dissenting voices with threats.

A DANGEROUS PRECEDENT

Mr. Felix Morka’s statement confirms what Mr. Peter Obi has repeatedly pointed out—that his life, his business, and all he represents are under coordinated attacks aimed at silencing his voice and that of his supporters at large. This administration has chosen repression over dialogue, intimidation over engagement, and threats over democratic discourse.

We categorically state that if any harm befalls Mr. Peter Obi, his family, or anyone associated with him, the Nigerian government and its agents will be held directly responsible. Nigerians and the international community must take note of this emerging pattern of repression and act to hold those in power accountable.

OUR RESOLVE

The Obidient Movement will not be cowed into silence. We stand firmly with Mr. Peter Obi and his vision for a just, equitable, and prosperous Nigeria. We call on Nigerians to resist this slide into authoritarianism by continuing to demand accountability, justice, and the protection of democratic values.

Finally, we urge the security services to not sweep such threats under the carpet as they had done in previous times but engage Mr Morka to elucidate on his utterance. Furthermore, the ruling party to call to order their mouth piece and members at large to desist from actions that could heat up the polity. In addition, the government of the day should foster an environment of noble ideas to shape our national discourse and not threats.

SIGNED:
Dr Yunusa Tanko
For: The Obidients Movement
January 6, 2025

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu arrived in Accra, Ghana, on Monday to participate in the inauguration of Ghana’s President-elect, John Dramani Mahama. The ceremony is scheduled for January 7, 2025, marking a significant moment in Ghanaian politics.

Tinubu, who departed Lagos earlier in the day, was warmly received at Kotoka International Airport by Julius Debra, Chief of Staff to Ghana’s outgoing President, Nana Akufo-Addo. This diplomatic visit underscores the strong ties between Nigeria and Ghana, as well as Tinubu’s role as Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.

John Dramani Mahama, who previously served as Ghana’s 12th president from 2011 to 2017, regained the presidency after a decisive victory in the December 2024 elections. He succeeds President Nana Akufo-Addo, who has led Ghana since 2017.

President Tinubu is accompanied by a delegation that includes the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and other senior government officials. The trip follows an earlier invitation from President-elect Mahama, who had visited Tinubu in Nigeria in December 2024.

Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Information and Strategy, confirmed the visit in a statement on Sunday.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will depart Abuja on Monday, January 6, for Accra, the capital of the Republic of Ghana, to attend the inauguration of President-elect John Dramani Mahama on January 7,” the statement read.

Onanuga highlighted the longstanding personal and bilateral relationship between Mahama and Tinubu, as well as between Nigeria and Ghana.

As ECOWAS Chairman, Tinubu’s presence at the inauguration reflects his commitment to fostering regional unity and cooperation. He joins other African leaders in celebrating Ghana’s peaceful democratic transition, a hallmark of stability in West Africa.

The event is expected to further strengthen the bilateral relationship between the two nations while underscoring ECOWAS’ role in promoting democracy and good governance across the region.

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Donald Trump capped a historic political comeback on Monday as Congress certified his election victory, in a remarkable turn from four years ago, when a mob he had summoned to Washington ransacked the US Capitol.

The president-elect spent much of his campaign facing prosecution over the 2021 insurrection, when his supporters — fueled by his false claims of voter fraud — rioted to halt the certification of his defeat to Joe Biden

But Trump, 78, was voted back into office in November and Monday’s ceremony went much more smoothly, even with a major winter storm blanketing the capital and much of the country in snow.

“Donald J Trump of the state of Florida, has received 312 votes. Kamala D Harris of the state of California has received 226 votes,” Harris herself declared to assembled lawmakers after the counting was complete.

Harris — who oversaw the certification as part of her vice-presidential duties — said the official count “shall be deemed a sufficient declaration” for Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance to take their oaths of office on January 20.

The ceremony marked the final blow to efforts to have the Republican leader face justice over the riot, the culmination of a multi-pronged alleged criminal conspiracy that prosecutors said Trump led — before they dropped all charges upon his election.

Trump has vowed to pardon an unspecified number of the rioters — around 900 of whom have admitted federal charges from trespassing and vandalism to assaulting police — describing them as “hostages.”

In a Washington Post op-ed, Biden slammed Trump’s allies for downplaying the violence of 2021 and urged Americans to be “proud that our democracy withstood this assault.”

“We cannot accept a repeat of what occurred four years ago,” he said. “An unrelenting effort has been underway to rewrite — even erase — the history of that day.”

Indiana conservative Mike Pence had Harris’s job — certifying his own defeat alongside Trump — in 2021 when, in a desperate bid to cling to power, the then-president demanded that he reject Biden’s victory.

Lawmakers in both parties have occasionally used the certification process to challenge elections, but more than half of House Republicans rejected the results in 2021.

– ‘Emotional trauma’

No Democratic leaders followed the Republican example this time around and there were no objections to certifying Trump’s victory — a process that took barely half an hour.

The former reality TV star was impeached for inciting the 2021 insurrection after delivering a raucous speech outside the White House early in the day, demanding that supporters march on the Capitol and “fight like hell.”

Thousands attacked the citadel of American democracy — battering police with metal bars and flag poles, smashing windows, sending lawmakers running in fear and chanting “Hang Mike Pence!”

Four people died — two from heart attacks, one from a potential overdose, and a rioter fatally shot by police as she tried to force her way into the House chamber. Four police officers committed suicide subsequently.

Republican Speaker Mike Johnson has vowed to investigate the House committee that probed the riot and found that Trump had instigated it after the failure of a host of other schemes to overturn an election he knew he had lost.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement the Justice Department had over the last four years charged more than 1,500 people suspected of involvement in the “unprecedented attack on a cornerstone of our system of government.”

The certification — which launches a two-week countdown towards Trump’s January 20 inauguration — was designated for the first time as a national security special event, with 500 National Guard personnel on standby.

But the federal government and Washington public schools were closed Monday with up to a foot (30 centimeters) of snow expected.

“Four years ago today, our nation watched in horror as a terrorist mob stormed the Capitol grounds and desecrated our temple of Democracy in a violent attempt to subvert the peaceful transfer of power,” Democrat Nancy Pelosi, who was House speaker at the time of the rebellion, said in a statement.

“The January 6th insurrection shook our Republic to its core — and left behind physical scars and emotional trauma on members of our congressional community and our country that endure to this day.”

AFP