Former presidential candidate and media entrepreneur, Dele Momodu, has revealed that Peter Obi turned down advice to align politically with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 presidential race, insisting he believed he enjoyed greater popularity.
Momodu made the disclosure on the Naija Unfiltered Podcast monitored by The News Chronicle, where he recounted private conversations in which he urged Obi to consider a political partnership with Atiku.
He said he advised the former Anambra State governor to reflect on the benefits of joint tickets and historical precedents where vice presidents eventually rose to become presidents.
“I told Peter, why don’t you go and work with Atiku. Atiku was the person who brought him to national prominence,” Momodu said.
He noted that Atiku’s decision to pick Obi as his running mate in the 2019 presidential election was initially controversial within the PDP, adding that the former vice president remained firm in his choice.
Momodu also cited global examples of deputy leaders who later became presidents, including Ghana’s former president John Mahama, who served as vice president under the late John Evans Atta Mills, as well as former U.S. president Joe Biden, who served as vice president under former president Barack Obama.
“I gave examples of Jonathan, I gave examples 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,” he said.
Momodu added that despite his persuasion, Obi remained unconvinced, insisting he was already more popular than Atiku.
