Obidient Crisis escalates as Serah and Dr Barry Avotu Johnson exchange allegations over payments, mobilisation and Peter Obi

A fierce public dispute erupted on X on Friday after a woman identified as Serah accused political commentator Dr Barry Avotu Johnson of attempting to rewrite the history of the Obidient Movement linked to former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi.

Also read: Peter Obi expelled as Obidient Movement faction moves to rebrand

The confrontation began after Serah challenged Dr Barry Avotu Johnson over comments concerning the movement, insisting that he was hired and paid in 2023 to mobilise supporters during court proceedings following the presidential election.

In a strongly worded post, Serah questioned Dr Barry Avotu Johnson’s claim to the movement and alleged that he had little knowledge of its operations at the time.

“Barry are you ok? You started what movement? I literally hired you in 2023 to mobilize people for the court and we paid you,” Serah wrote.

Serah further claimed that Dr Barry Avotu Johnson neither knew the location of the Labour Party office nor the court during the period in question, while warning him against mentioning Peter Obi and Labour Party figure Dr Tanko Yunusa.

The exchange quickly escalated after Dr Barry Avotu Johnson responded with a lengthy post alleging that Serah’s comments had exposed what he described as contradictions within the Obidient Movement.

Dr Barry Avotu Johnson argued that the admission that individuals were allegedly paid to mobilise supporters undermined claims that the movement was entirely organic and driven solely by public conviction.

“Since you have now chosen to publicly puncture the carefully manufactured myth that the now disbanded Obidient Movement was some pristine, spontaneous uprising untouched by money or coordination, perhaps it is only fair that Nigerians hear the full story,” he wrote.

The political commentator also questioned how mobilisation efforts could have involved payments despite repeated public claims that the movement was powered by voluntary support from millions of Nigerians.

The explosive allegations intensified the growing Obidient Crisis on social media, with supporters and critics of Peter Obi engaging in heated reactions across multiple platforms.

Dr Barry Avotu Johnson further claimed that he created the Obidient brand before other political figures joined the movement, while accusing some actors within the group of introducing toxicity and transactional politics.

He also threatened to release receipts and additional details relating to alleged payments and internal dealings within the movement.

Neither Peter Obi nor Dr Tanko Yunusa had publicly responded to the allegations as of press time.

Also read: Obidient movement demands probe into alleged attack on Peter Obi

The dramatic fallout has sparked renewed debate over the structure, financing and authenticity of political support movements that emerged during Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election campaign.