Ovation magazine publisher and prominent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member, Chief Dele Momodu, has alleged that Wike played a key role in Peter Obi’s decision to leave the PDP and join the Labour Party (LP) ahead of the 2023 general elections.
In an interview with Arise Television on Wednesday, the publisher explained that during the lead-up to the 2023 election, Peter Obi, who had been a prominent member of the PDP, decided to leave the party and seek the presidential ticket of the Labour Party. This move was largely in response to actions taken by Governor Nyesom Wike.
Before the election, there was considerable discussion within the PDP about rotating the presidential power to the Southeast region. Atiku Abubakar, the PDP’s presidential candidate, had reportedly expressed support for this rotation, believing it would be beneficial to the party.
However, Momodu revealed that Wike’s comments and actions complicated this plan.
The PDP chieftain explained that Wike had distanced himself from any Southeast agenda. In his view, Wike’s public statements, where he declared that he was “not an Igbo man” and that he had no interest in supporting any “Igbo agenda,” effectively removed him from any consideration for the region. This disqualification, according to Momodu, created a situation where Obi felt increasingly marginalized within the PDP.
“It was the same Wike people complaining about north-south that brought the committee through our party primary open. That’s why I was able to buy a form. I bought a form because, at that time, Atiku had told them that if they ceded power to the southeast, then it would make sense to him, but if it would still be a rotation between just a few zones, he would not support it,” Momodu explained. “But because Wike had already disqualified himself by saying he’s not an Igbo man, he said he’s from south-south, he’s not interested in Igbo anything, so he succeeded in frustrating Peter Obi out of the party. So, the coast was clear for Nyesom Wike.”
Momodu further criticized the dynamics within the PDP, stating that the party did not have a zoning issue until Wike and his allies began pushing a more regional north-south agenda. This internal division, he argued, undermined the party’s unity and ultimately made it easier for Obi to leave and run for president under the Labour Party’s banner.
