A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dele Momodu, has said that Peter Obi should have remained in the party to test his popularity rather than leaving.

Momodu, who is also the publisher of Ovation International, made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday.

He was reacting to the recent defection of Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, and Rabiu Kwankwaso, the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), from ADC to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

According to Momodu, Obi would have had a better opportunity to measure his political strength within the ADC 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 defended former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s long-standing political ambition, describing him as a consistent politician.

READ ALSO: Obi, Kwankwaso Join NDC, Receive Membership Cards

“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.

Speaking further, Momodu said Obi was constrained by pressure from his supporters, who he claimed had warned him against becoming a running mate to another presidential aspirant.

“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.

The former Anambra State governor and his Kano State counterpart formally joined the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) from the ADC on Sunday.

 

 

Obi, who was the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), and Kwankwaso, a former presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), received the NDC membership cards on Sunday amid cheers from supporters, shortly after a closed-door meeting with leaders of the NDC.

The two opposition leaders were welcomed into the NDC by a former Governor of Bayelsa State and national leader of the party, Senator Seriake Dickson.

Obi had cited a worsening political climate marked by internal crises, external interference, and growing hostility within party structures as his reasons for leaving the ADC which he joined from the Labour Party barely in December 2025.

The former Anambra State governor described Nigeria’s political space as increasingly toxic, where intimidation, insecurity, and persistent scrutiny have become the norm.

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