Former governorship aspirant of the Nigerian Democratic Congress, NDC, in Taraba State, Philip Johnson, has dumped the party, alleging that the governorship primary election was manipulated against him.

Johnson, in a resignation letter addressed to the Taraba State Chairman of the NDC, alleged that he legitimately won the party’s governorship primary election conducted across the state’s 16 local government areas but was later denied victory through what he described as an alteration of results.

He claimed that the primary election was conducted peacefully and transparently, with the collation of results indicating that he emerged victorious.

He, however, alleged that at the point of official declaration, the party’s congress panel announced that the final results would be declared in Abuja on the directive of the National Secretariat.

The former NDC governorship aspirant further alleged that the outcome was subsequently changed in favour of another aspirant whom he claimed to have defeated at the polls.

He accused the party of abandoning the principles of justice, fairness, and democratic values upon which it was founded, lamenting that the declared candidate continued to enjoy the support of the party leadership while his complaints were ignored.

“It is unfortunate that a party which presented itself as a platform for progressive change and democratic values has chosen to embrace the very practices it was expected to reject,” he stated in the letter.

Director of the Abuja School of Social Thought and Politics, Sam Amadi, has said that attacks against presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Mr Peter Obi, have failed to diminish his popularity because there are no credible allegations of corruption or scandal against him.

Amadi made the remarks in a post on X on Saturday while reacting to a debate sparked by comments from actor-turned-politician, Kenneth Okonkwo, regarding Obi and his supporters.

An X user, @RealQueenBee, had referenced recent remarks by Okonkwo where he threatened to release information that could damage Obi’s political career if supporters of the former presidential candidate continued to attack him online.

Reacting to the post, Amadi said Obi’s political appeal remains intact because critics have not presented factual evidence capable of damaging his reputation.

He wrote: “Attacks against @PeterObi dont stick much because he has little or nothing that is scandalous or corrupt. All the other presidential candidates today cannot boast of that record.

“His political popularity is not damaged because his traducers are merely expressing elitist derision and not bombing him with any factual revelation

“He is still the best available on presidential slate today.”

Amadi argued that most attacks against the former Anambra State governor amount to elitist criticism rather than revelations of wrongdoing.

He further stated that Obi’s record in public service has helped shield him from political attacks, adding that other presidential contenders cannot claim a similar level of freedom from allegations of corruption.

Amadi also maintained that Obi remains the strongest option among the current crop of presidential hopefuls, insisting that his popularity continues to endure despite sustained criticism from opponents.