Chief Dele Momodu, publisher of Ovation magazine and a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has restated his commitment to supporting former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as his preferred presidential candidate in the opposition coalition.
Speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme aired Monday night, Momodu emphasized that his backing of Atiku does not invalidate the rights of others particularly members of the Obidient movement—to support their own preferred aspirants, such as Peter Obi.
“My best choice is Atiku. And that is what I expect Obidients to say, which I expect those who support Amaechi to say,” Momodu said during the broadcast.
“There’s nothing wrong with that. This game is a game of numbers, and the people who are most aggrieved today are in the northern part of Nigeria.”
He argued that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is wary of Atiku’s rising influence and is strategically pushing for a southern candidate to emerge in the ADC, viewing Atiku as a formidable opponent.
“If you listen to Wike very well, they’ve all been campaigning that the next president should still come from the southern Nigeria. But they know very well that there’s no southerner today,” Momodu explained.
“The only one who could have attempted it is Wike. But since he is supporting Asiwaju, he is no longer available. The moment they started pushing campaigns of calumny against Atiku, you must know that they feel threatened by Atiku.”
While reaffirming his admiration for Peter Obi, Momodu urged for an open and democratic contest among all aspirants, stressing that all camps must be allowed to campaign and compete freely.
“I have never asked anyone not to support Obi. Obi is my very good friend. If you asked me about one of the people who should lead the coalition, I would say it should be Obi,” he said.
“As a democrat, I am appealing to them, hoping they will be able to do it democratically so that they will not say they were forced upon them.”
He added: “Let them all go to the field. Let all Obidients campaign for Obi, let those Atikulates campaign for Atiku and let the Amaechis campaign for Amaechi. That is my belief.”
Momodu concluded by reaffirming his confidence in Atiku’s leadership credentials: “Atiku is a good example of what a leader should be in Nigeria.”
