How Obi's Confrontation with Akande is Shaping the #EndSARS Debate

Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, has blasted Bisi Akande, the former governor of Osun State, for claiming that Obi's supporters, known as Obidients, planned the 2020 #EndSARS demonstration across Nigeria in order to thwart the goals of Bola Tinubu, the current president.

Akande's account, according to Obi and the Obidient Movement, was insensitive to the memories of #EndSARS victims, especially those who died, and was an attempt to alter history.

The statewide #EndSARS demonstration, which took place from October 7 to October 20, started with a plea for the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, a notorious police branch, to be disbanded. However, it quickly expanded to include calls for decent governance.

Protesters and security personnel have clashed, especially in Lagos State, where troops are accused of shooting at unarmed demonstrators at the Lekki Tollgate.

Akande asserted in a recent podcast hosted by well-known broadcaster Edmund Obilo that Obidients planned the #EndSARS demonstration to thwart Tinubu's quest for presidency.


He said that international donations provided the movement with adequate funding.

"The #EndSARS was caused by the Obidients. It was imported specifically to stop him (Tinubu) and was made in America. I didn't say Obi; I said the Obidients.

Originally from America, they joined the #EndSARS movement, which eventually evolved into a party. They were unable to organize a party. The octogenarian said, "It was well organized and planned with a lot of money from America."

However, Umar Ibrahim, Obi's media assistant, criticized Akande in a chat with our correspondent on Thursday, calling his assertions deceptive and disrespectful to those who lost their lives during the demonstration.

"The accusations are divisive and misleading," he remarked. It is regrettable that Akande would infer that the #EndSARS demonstrations were organized by the Obidient Movement, and it is even more shocking that he would suggest that it was done to keep a specific person from winning the presidency.

Let me clarify: the movement is a grassroots phenomenon that developed naturally as a result of Nigerians' unwavering passion and commitment to building a brighter future for their nation. It is a movement that aims to advance inclusive development, accountability, and good governance and goes beyond partisan politics.

In contrast, the #EndSARS demonstrations were an unplanned reaction to the general dissatisfaction and annoyance among young Nigerians over issues of economic disparity, corruption, and police brutality. It demonstrates the tenacity and resolve of our youth, who are calling for a society that is more just and equal.

It is unjust to the millions of Nigerians who are sincerely dedicated to bringing about constructive change to confuse these two different occurrences. We implore former governor Akande to abstain from making unsupported assertions that will only deepen divisions in our society.

The Obidient Movement Worldwide, also called Akande's story an affront to the memory of all #EndSARS victims, especially the dead.
"The baseless and revisionist claim made by former Governor Bisi Akande is categorically rejected by the Obidient movement," he stated. His fabricated story is a desperate attempt to change history and place the responsibility for the government's shortcomings, in addition to being an affront to the memories of the young Nigerians who died defending themselves against police violence.

A youth-led, decentralized campaign called #EndSARS called for an end to systematic oppression, extrajudicial killings, and police brutality in Nigeria. It had nothing to do with politics or the aspirations of any one person to become president.

We implore Akande and his allies to put more effort into tackling the actual problems that Nigerians are currently facing, including as unemployment, insecurity, economic hardship, and poor governance, rather than spreading revisionist fiction. No amount of false information or historical revisionism will alter the fact that the people are suffering.