Obi is afraid of competitive primaries, has never been in one, and won’t be until end of his political career — Okonkwo

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kenneth Okonkwo, has accused Peter Obi of avoiding internal party contests, claiming his exit from the ADC was motivated by reluctance to participate in competitive primaries.

Okonkwo made the remarks during an interview on ARISE News on Wednesday, where he addressed Obi’s departure from the party and dismissed suggestions that it was driven by ideological disagreements or internal party disputes.

According to him, the decision was instead linked to Obi’s alleged unwillingness to subject himself to open electoral competition.

“Obi is afraid of competitive primary, never been in one, won’t be until end of his political career,” Okonkwo said.

He argued that Obi has consistently avoided direct contests for party tickets throughout his political journey, preferring negotiated arrangements rather than structured primaries.

“Peter Obi is afraid of free and fair primary elections. He gave reasons of challenges, but his main reason is that he does not want to face the primary election,” he added.

Okonkwo maintained that Obi’s pattern in politics has remained unchanged over time, insisting that the former presidential candidate has not participated in any competitive primary election.

“He has never been in one, and he will not be in one until he finishes his political career,” he said.

Obi has not publicly responded to the remarks.