Media entrepreneur, Dele Momodu, has said former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi would have been better off staying in the African Democratic Congress to truly test his political strength rather than defecting.
Momodu made the comment on Wednesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, while reacting to the recent departure of Obi and former Kano State governor Rabiu Kwankwaso from the ADC to the Nigerian Democratic Congress.
According to him, Obi missed a key opportunity to measure his popularity within the party’s internal structure.
“It’s a lot easier for Obi to test his popularity, but he ran away from testing that popularity because all it takes now is either consensus, so there are no delegates, or you go and do direct primaries.
“When you go and do the primaries, it’s every registered party member that will vote. So if you are popular, you will get the vote. But he knows that in direct, indirect, or consensus, it will be difficult for him to beat a man who brought him to national prominence in 2019,” he said.
Momodu also expressed support for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, commending his long-standing pursuit of the presidency.
“Atiku meticulously and diligently pursued his dream since around 1992/1993 and has not given up. That is the hallmark of a serious politician.
“Every electoral cycle brings him closer to his destination, so I would have wished that Obi would wait and test his popularity in ADC,” he added.
He further claimed that Obi’s political choices have been shaped significantly by his supporters, particularly regarding the idea of accepting a vice-presidential role.
“Obi is afraid of his supporters. They already told him in advance that if he agreed to be vice president to anyone, they were going to disown him.
“They said it—Aisha Yesufu said it, Pat Utomi also said it publicly. So let’s stop hiding behind one finger. Obi did not leave because of Atiku; he left because he knew he lacked the capacity to take on Atiku,” he said.
Obi and Kwankwaso formally moved from the ADC to the NDC on Sunday.
The former Anambra State governor had earlier explained that his exit from the ADC—after joining from the Labour Party in December 2025—was driven by worsening internal disputes, external interference, and rising tensions within the party.
