Labour, NNPP, SDP Fault Obi’s Call on Diaspora to Stop Sending Money Home; Obidient Movement Defends Him

By: Ganiyu Olayinka

The Labour Party, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) have criticised Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi over his appeal to Nigerians abroad to stop sending money to relatives at home. They argue the move could deepen hardship for vulnerable families without guaranteeing political change ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The Obidient Movement defended the former Anambra State governor, insisting his message was not meant to make Nigerians abandon their families but to challenge a political system that leaves millions reliant on relatives abroad for basic survival.

The controversy followed Obi’s address at a town hall with diaspora supporters in Manchester, United Kingdom, on Sunday. He urged Nigerians abroad to turn down requests for financial help from home and to encourage their relatives to vote for productive leaders. He argued that continued support from abroad only softens the effects of bad governance without tackling the root causes of hardship.

Labour Party National Publicity Secretary Ken Asogwa said the appeal could hurt ordinary Nigerians who depend on remittances for medical bills and other pressing needs. He said he understood the desperation behind the statement but likened it to harming oneself out of spite, and called it an overkill. He urged all presidential candidates, not Obi alone, to tone down their rhetoric in the national interest.

NNPP National Chairman Major Agbo called Obi’s position unpatriotic, saying political disagreements should not undermine Nigeria’s economic interests. He questioned how any economy could survive without inflows from abroad and wondered why an aspirant to the presidency would make such a statement. He also said it confirmed what he described as the agenda of Obi and his deputy, Rabiu Kwankwaso, in joining the NNPP, adding that the party could never take them seriously.

The SDP also faulted the appeal. Its National Publicity Secretary, Rufus Aiyenigba, called it unpatriotic and illogical, saying that withholding remittances does not directly determine who becomes president. He said Nigerians abroad would need to come home in large numbers to mobilise, campaign and push for their preferred candidates.

Remittances support millions of Nigerian households, helping pay for food, education, healthcare and housing, and they also contribute to foreign exchange inflows. The dispute highlights differing views within the opposition on how Nigerians at home and abroad should respond to the Tinubu administration’s economic policies, with critics warning of harm to families and Obi’s supporters saying financial help should not replace demands for accountability.

Defending Obi, the Obidient Movement’s Director of Media and Communications, Onyeka Dike, said in a telephone interview that the former governor was urging Nigerians abroad to use their influence to demand better governance rather than keep cushioning the effects of government failure. He said Obi understands the sacrifices of the diaspora and that the goal is to build a country where families no longer need help from abroad to survive. He also said Obi has made anonymous donations to many people, from those in IDP camps to those unable to pay school fees, and accused some of Obi’s critics of benefiting from the system that has impoverished Nigerians. In his view, they want remittances to continue quietly so public anger is not directed at the APC-led government.