Veteran journalist and publisher of Ovation International, Chief Dele Momodu, has disclosed that former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, once turned down his suggestion to work closely with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 political battle because he believed he had a stronger political following.

Momodu made the revelation while speaking during an interview on the Naija Unfiltered Podcast, where he reflected on his relationship with both politicians and the discussions he had with Obi after the 2023 general election.

According to him, he encouraged the former Anambra State governor to rebuild his political alliance with Atiku, arguing that the ex-Vice President played a major role in bringing Obi to the national stage when he selected him as his running mate in the 2019 presidential election.

“I told Peter why don’t you go and work with Atiku. Atiku was the person who brought him to national prominence,” Momodu said.

The media entrepreneur recalled that Atiku’s decision to settle for Obi as his running mate was not welcomed by some influential figures within the Peoples Democratic Party at the time.

“When Atiku picked Peter, the governors were angry but one thing about Atiku is that once he makes up his mind, he’s a very focused man,” he added.

Momodu explained that he tried to convince Obi by pointing to examples of leaders in different countries who eventually rose to the highest political office after serving as deputies.

“So, I told Peter, I said sir, Your Excellency, try and work with this man (Atiku), then I gave him copious examples. I said if Mahama was not a VP to Prof Atta Mills, maybe he would never be President of Ghana because he came from a minority just like Jonathan in Nigeria,” he said.

“I gave the example of Jonathan, I gave the example in America. Even Joe Biden, who was much older than Obama, still came back to become president because you’re able to demonstrate your capacity.”

Despite the advice, Momodu said Obi was not convinced that such a political arrangement would benefit him.

“You’ve always been a governor of a state but Peter told me he’s more popular than Atiku,” Momodu stated.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has updated its official political party portal, removing Ahmed Yayari and Daniel Woyengikuro from their respective positions as Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Treasurer and National Financial Secretary.

The electoral body replaced them with Odeyemi Mackson Oladiran as the new National Treasurer and Eyim Donatus Henry as the new National Financial Secretary.

POLITICS NIGERIA reports that the development comes amid an ongoing internal power struggle within the main opposition party.

The ousted officials, Ahmed and Daniel, belong to the Turaki faction backed by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde. Conversely, the newly listed executives, Odeyemi and Eyim, are loyalists of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, whose camp is recognized by the commission.

The portal before change
Prior to this update, the commission had already recognized the FCT Minister’s camp by listing Abdulrahman Mohammed as the PDP National Chairman and Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary.

However, keeping the names of Ahmed Yayari and Daniel on the roster had initially caused confusion. With this latest portal revision, the entirety of the PDP leadership listed on the electoral umpire’s website reflects the camp loyal to Wike.

The party has been embroiled in a leadership contest between the camp under FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and a rival group led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, who emerged from a late 2025 party convention.
In the convention in Ibadan where Turaki was elected National Chairman, steps were taken to suspend Wike along with several associates.

The portal showing the recent changes
However, the pro-Wike camp dismissed the convention and established an alternative 13-member Caretaker Committee under the leadership of Abdulrahman Mohammed.

This led to court cases with conflicting judicial outcomes.

An Oyo State High Court originally validated the Ibadan convention and the Turaki-led National Working Committee, directing the electoral body to acknowledge them.
This decision was later overturned by the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which nullified the Ibadan convention and set aside Turaki’s election.

Source: Politics Nigeria

The National Publicity Secretary of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Prof. Tukur Mohammed-Baba, says President Bola Tinubu has lost significant political standing in the North since 2023, warning that neither former Vice President Atiku Abubakar nor Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, currently offers the region a credible alternative ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Mohammed-Baba made the remarks on Monday during an interview on PrimeTime on Arise Television, where he also described Nigeria’s political class as lacking ideas and driven largely by personal ambition.

He stated that the political elite, across parties, had failed to address the country’s insecurity and economic challenges.

“I have not seen a party that articulates a clear policy ambition or an ideological standard. The average northern voter is disillusioned and has been for a long time.

On Tinubu, whose 2023 election victory was partly supported by voters in the North, he said the impact of his policies had been disappointing.

“The impact of his policies on the economy and especially on individual lives has been highly disappointing, if not disturbing.

“Furthermore, the insecurity thing, no matter what the government says, is getting worse. Over a year ago, we talked about the ‘Forest Guards.’ It is only recently, with the event in Oyo and in Borno States, that they are talking of deploying 1,000 forest guards in some of the states but researchers have shown that there are over 30,000 terrorists operating in our ungoverned spaces,” he said.

He also cited insecurity in parts of the North, alleging that some communities had been forced to abandon farmlands due to bandit threats.

“We are gradually normalising self-help, that unless you do something, the government will not be there to protect you. That undermines the essence of the role of the state,” he said.

Speaking on Atiku Abubakar, Mohammed-Baba described him as a “recurring decimal”, saying he had not presented a clear alternative policy direction despite multiple presidential bids.

“I don’t see anything from him that presents an alternative apart from saying this government has failed,” he said. “Where is the beef?”