By Taiwo Scholarstica
A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, Dele Momodu, has disclosed that former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi once rejected his advice to work closely with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, insisting that he was more popular than the veteran politician.
Momodu made the revelation during an interview on Symfoni TV on Monday while discussing political alignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to him, Obi had visited him on several occasions in London, Ghana and Lagos, during which he advised the former Anambra State governor to consider building a political partnership with Atiku. Momodu said he cited examples from Ghana and the United States to support his argument.
He explained that former Ghanaian President John Mahama rose to power after serving as vice president under the late President John Atta Mills, while former US President Joe Biden eventually became president after serving as vice president to Barack Obama.
Momodu recalled telling Obi that such political partnerships could help build experience and national acceptance. However, he said Obi disagreed with the suggestion.
“Peter told me that he was more popular than Atiku. If you see him, ask him if I lied against him,” Momodu said.
Obi served as Atiku’s running mate on the Peoples Democratic Party ticket during the 2019 presidential election. He later left the PDP for the Labour Party and contested the 2023 presidential election, where he finished third behind President Bola Tinubu and Atiku.
Momodu also commented on the current political climate, claiming that some governors publicly supporting Tinubu were privately uncertain about backing his re-election bid in 2027.
The ADC chieftain further criticised the influence of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and faulted the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.
He accused Tinubu of treating suspended Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara unfairly, describing the emergency declaration as unnecessary.