Politics
Don’t cross the lines, Dele Momodu, warns Wike, Ortom, Makinde, Ikpeazu
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It appears your party’s Campaign Council is in trouble. Two governors have apparently disowned your presidential campaign and chances are that you might lose votes in their states, Benue and Rivers. How much of blow is this for your party?
I don’t see it as any blow and before I continue, you know that I am a great fan of Governor Wike and Governor Ortom happens to be one of our good governors but you know they work together and, when you look at the pattern, you will see that it is like a deliberate orchestration for maximum effect and impact. It is not true that our candidate did not want to involve them, our candidate reached out to them, several times, at home and abroad, but they remained very rigid in their position. In every reconciliation effort, it is expected that there would be a shift and they said they are not going to shift and anyone who knows Atiku Abubakar very well will know that he is a man who conducts himself very well. His comportment in fact is unprecedented. He does not exchange verbal attacks with anybody. He has been talking to them and he will continue to dialogue with them.
Even some of them (associates) whose names were published, they pulled them out, saying they will not participate in the in the campaign after the Presidential Campaign Council was announced. So, what do you want him to do?
He can’t wait forever and that is why he has moved on, thinking that maybe one day, they will have a change of heart to look favorably in his direction, but, as it is, he has carried on with his campaign without attacking any governor. Calling him an agent of Meyitti Allah is to the extreme. Anybody who has followed the trajectory of Atiku will know that he is detribalized, has friends in every part of Nigeria. I currently work in his office, where a lot of young men and women from every part of Nigeria are doing their work. Atiku Abubakar cannot be an agent of Miyetti Allah, I think that is carrying it too far.
Is it a coincidence that Chief Femi Fani-Kayode stated part of what Governor Orton is re- echoing; allegations of ethnic bigotry, bias and perceived alliance in the manner in which Atiku is said to have aligned.
Govs Wike, Ortom, Makinde and Ikpeazu are asking for equity in the party and Chief Bode George is saying they need a southern face that could give them some sense of relevance in the party’s presidential election. Is it not equity they are asking for?
It is too late in the day for anybody to be asking for a southern candidate. We had a primary election…
Is it a southern candidate they are asking for or a southern representation that is meaningful?
We have it in our party. In fact, PDP has done far better than any other political party in Nigeria. If you look at our trajectory between 1999 and 2007, PDP presented former President Obasanjo, who served for eight years, then we had Yar’ Adua who was in power for three years, then we had former President Jonathan, who was there for five years. So, we (South) would have had 13 years out of 24 years (of democracy) by next year. So, we don’t have that problem in PDP, you can talk about other parties, but I can tell you that the last President the PDP fielded was a southerner. So, nobody is going to accuse us of entrenching Hausa/Fulani interest. There is a major campaign of calumny against the Hausa/Fulani in Nigeria today, which I find very dangerous.
They are Nigerians. They are part of Nigerians and elections are about numbers. If the Hausa/Fulani are able to manage themselves better than southerners, so be it. I was in that race, and I can tell you that southern candidates never worked together. I even tried to reach some southern governors who would not receive me, whereas when you go to the North, there is open door.
I went to Sokoto, Governor Tambuwal was personally driving me round in the state. In the South I was just like nobody. It is the nature of politics. It is whosoever has the capacity to carry every other person along. Let me warn, whenever in the past we had two strong southern candidates, they lost to the North. We did it in 1979 when we had Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, the scenario repeated itself in 1983. The South must learn about politics and politicking. It is not about sentiments.
Are you saying the South is naive, politically?
I didn’t use the word naive or naivety but I am telling you history.
The history you are portraying is that the southern political force has gotten it wrong. Is that what you are saying?
Democracy is different from revolution. We must choose between democracy and revolution. South cannot blackmail the North, just like the North cannot blackmail the South. We must work together. When you refuse to do that, you are heading to failure.
President Buhari is a Fulani man and Atiku Abubakar a Fulani man too. A school of thought is asking, irrespective of their political parties, is it fair for a Fulani man to hand over to another Fulani man after leading for eight years?
Democracy is not always about fairness. For instance, how long did it take former President Obama to emerge as US President? It is a game of numbers and not sentiment. You and I can cry from now till kingdom come, until we learn to conduct politics properly, we will continue to lose. Look, before former President Obasanjo emerged as President, he made sure he reached out to everybody, the same thing applied before former President Yar’ Adua. As popular as Buhari was in 2007 and 2011, he couldn’t make it; he was only able to make it in 2015, not because of his tribe but because he was able to reach out to the South. Any southerner who wants to become the President of Nigeria must reach out to the North.
The question is that all the comments and allegations of ethnic beliefs and biases are buttressed by what Atiku said at the Arewa Forum in Kaduna…
What did he say in Kaduna?
What he said was in simple English but people decided to cut away the conclusion. It was the North that asked him a question and he replied by urging them not to vote anybody on account of region. A lot of people today are whipping up emotional sentiments; that it is because of where I come from, the ‘Emilokan syndrome’, “because I am a Yoruba man, then I deserve to be President”, “because I am an Igbo man, I deserve to be President”.
Nobody has championed Igbo presidency more than some of us. (But) that cannot be your only qualification. Go and sell your credentials and manifestos. Atiku Abubakar does not need any of that any longer, he has sold his over the years and everybody is familiar with him. You can call him names, he will not respond, but don’t call him an ethnic jingoist. Never!
Are you saying that what Governor Ortom said is wrong?
He is carrying it too far. He is a man I like so much. Of course it is wrong to label him (Atiku) an agent of Miyetti Allah. You can say anything about Atiku Abubakar but calling him an agent of Miyetti Allah, I disagree vehemently with that. It is wrong. If you don’t want to support a man, it is very easy to give a dog a bad name in order to hang it, but it is wrong to disparage a man who has served his country meritoriously, who has done everything he could for every part of this country; but because you are playing politics, disagree with him, you will use such weighty words against him? Well, there is always another time.
If words are weighty, but are true…
That is what I am telling you, that even Governor Wike, who is supposed to be the angriest of them all because he participated in our primary, has not used such word against Atiku. I give him credit. In getting angry, in trying not to work for him, if that is their decision, let us conduct ourselves well. People get angry, there is nothing wrong in that, they have every reason to be angry, but they should not cross certain lines. I have written in the last couple of months to Governor Wike, the closest to me among them, because I call him the ‘poster boy in PDP’, great guy, doing very well, advising him not to cross certain lines. That night, he called, we spoke briefly and we continued to respect his opinion but I will continue to appeal, don’t destroy the bridge you crossed because you don’t know whether you will need that bridge again, if you don’t need it, a member of your family might need it.
Can your presidential campaign team do without the governors of Oyo, Benue, Rivers and Abia states that are not supporting your candidate? Isn’t you party in trouble in these four states?
My party is not in trouble. I am a child of destiny and God is responsible for everything on earth. If it is God’s wish that Atiku will be the next President of Nigeria, 20 governors cannot stop him. It has happened in Osun State where we counted on Governor Makinde, but for whatever reasons, he couldn’t make it.
We never made an issue of it. We didn’t have Governor Wike when we were campaigning in Osun. (But) we were able to defeat the fire power of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who hails from the state. Despite the absence of all those we expected to support us, we won that election, convincingly. That is how it should be. That is why I keep begging Governor Wike not to be found wanting on a day you are needed most. Whether he likes PDP or not, the party has done very well for him, just as he’s has done very well for PDP. Governor Makinde has an election, next year, you think he will destroy the PDP and still use the platform? He won’t do that.
He is a smart gentle man that I know reasonably well; even though they are very angry, I know they are forming a very powerful bloc, but trust me PDP is so big that it can’t be threatened because our governors are angry. PDP will not go into any fight for anything whatsoever. We will continue to appeal to them, we love them like a man would love members of his family and we are hoping that very soon, we will be able to put everything behind us and embrace one another, again.
A lot of people attribute Nigeria’s current situation to non-inclusion and marginalization and you are saying that politics is a game of numbers. So, you are saying that another northerner should succeed President Buhari for another four or eight years?
Nothing is impossible. I am a very frank person. I am just giving you an example of America, we have the same style of democracy. If it took America over 200 years to produce Obama, it can happen anywhere else in the world. People must work. Sunak just became the British Prime Minister, he didn’t do it by sentiments; he did it by working towards his goal, by reaching out to everyone. Nobody can hand over power to the South free of charge. For instance, when former President Jonathan wanted to contest the 2011 election, a lot of people opposed it. Did he not eventually contest? He did. When he came out for second term, people opposed it again, PDP allowed him. We don’t have the issue of marginalization in PDP.
You referred to the British situation of Sunak. That cannot apply because they operate a different system. They go into election because it was the mandate of the party from the 2019 election. Your party has a constitution that provides for rotation and balance. You have it cast in stone.
We don’t have it cast in stone. As a matter of fact, it was this same Governor Ortom who sat on the panel to look at the issue of whether we should zone or not. Some of us even kicked at that time, asking why he allowed aspirants to buy form before their meeting on the issue. They recommended to the NEC of the party which asked to have favourable competition in the party, “let us throw it open”. No governor opposed it at that stage. Trouble only started after those who thought they would win lost. There was never a time that…if I didn’t believe in it when they set aside the zoning, I will not contest.
Do you think Atiku will win this election?
Oh…his time has come. Every man has his time. By God’s grace, his time has come. He has paid his dues and has conducted himself well. He has gone through trials and tribulations, they have thrown dirty things at him and he has remained focused. In fact, his story will be one of the biggest stories in Africa; of a man who pursued his dream and on the 30th anniversary of June 12, on the 25th anniversary of the late Chief Abiola’s death, that he will be President. He stepped down for the late MKO in the 1993 Jos Convention. I was there, barely 33 years old at that time and, today, I am honoured that, after working for the late Chief, nearly 30 years after, I am here and we are about to crown the man who gave my adopted father that opportunity to get a ticket
You think he can beat the likes of Peter Obi and Bola Tinubu?
Oh! Let’s be fair. I won’t write off anybody but I have stated it historically and maybe I won’t be right but I am right. There is no way you will have two strong southern candidates like we have now and anyone of them wins and Atiku is the only one who can penetrate the South more readily than either of the two penetrating the North.
What about the permutation that most of the votes from the South that will go for Peter Obi were traditionally for your party?
Peter Obi is not Goodluck Jonathan, and Atiku Abubakar is not former President Jonathan; the most formidable force who has always had his network in PDM with the late General Yar’ Adua is Atiku. None of the other people ever built such network in the North, now they are struggling to catch up in the next four months. The ready-made President of Nigeria is Atiku Abubakar.
If Atiku does not win this time, that will be the very end…
If Tinubu does not win this time around, that will be the very end. That is not new but I am telling you that…
Will you be surprised if Atiku does not win?
There is nothing that can stop him this time. A man if his time has come…
What if voters don’t want him?
Who are the voters? The voters are from every part…I am telling you he is the only one who has been the bridge builder. He is the only one who has been able to cross to the South, the others are struggling to build up network in the North.
You see the kind of crowd that Bola Tinubu is commanding in the North in some of the rallies and the ones Peter Obi is getting. Is it not enough threat for the party?
Have you seen the level of crowd Atiku is pulling without having a rally? In Bauchi State, the sea of human beings, I couldn’t believe it. We were in Edo, we have been to Uyo. The only man today who readily cuts across every part of the country is Atiku Abubakar. Hate him or love him, you can’t take that away from him.
You said that when two strong southern candidates are contesting, there is always a problem, historically. What about Atiku and Senator Kwankwaso, both from the North?
I didn’t forget Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso. He is a man I love and respect. We have come way back and I am telling you, the North understands the game of power. Whether we want to accept that power or not, that is the truth. In the South, I have told you how difficult it is for us, even as aspirants, to work together.
In the North, if the decision is that Atiku is favoured to win ahead of Kwankwaso, the North will converge and give it to Atiku. That is what is going to happen. I know it for a fact. Why do you think our Director General, Governor Tamubwal, stepped down for Atiku? It was a game of numbers, that was the master stroke which a lot of people did not see coming.
In fact, that was why the governors are very angry because they didn’t see it, coming. But a few of us saw it coming. As far back as March, I had written Governor Wike, telling him precisely what was going to happen, I copied Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, SAN, telling them how the thing would flow.
Two weeks to the primary, I wrote in my column, I asked Governor Wike not to spend money hoping that he will carry the day at the convention. Two days later, he dismissed me in a television program. People called me to complain but I told them that Wike is my man. He is our best governor; no matter what he says, I will take it; if he slaps me on the right cheek, I will turn the right but, today, I am right and they were wrong
• Interview first aired on Channels TV Politics Today
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld a Federal High Court judgment restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising state congresses conducted by committees appointed by the David Mark-led caretaker leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In a split decision of two to one, the three-member panel affirmed the earlier ruling of the Federal High Court, holding that the congresses organised under the caretaker committee violated an existing court order.
Justice Okon Abang, who delivered the lead judgment, ruled that there was no basis to set aside the restraining order issued by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik on April 29.
The appellate court also upheld the lower court’s decision barring the caretaker leadership from interfering with the functions and tenure of the party’s duly elected state executive committees.
According to the court, the ADC Constitution vests the responsibility for conducting state congresses in the elected state executive committees, not the national caretaker leadership.
Justice Donatus Okorowo concurred with the lead judgment, while Justice Abba Mohammed dissented, arguing that the matter was an internal affair of the political party and therefore outside the jurisdiction of the courts.
The suit was filed by aggrieved members of the ADC, who challenged the legality of committees established by the David Mark-led caretaker leadership to conduct state congresses. They argued that the appointments breached the party’s constitution, insisting that only duly elected party organs had the authority to organise state congresses.
In its earlier ruling, the Federal High Court held that the four-year tenure of the ADC’s State Working Committees and State Executive Committees remained valid until fresh congresses and a national convention were properly conducted.
Justice Abdulmalik further ruled that neither the 1999 Constitution nor the ADC Constitution empowered the caretaker committee to appoint committees to conduct state congresses.
While noting that courts generally refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of political parties, the judge held that judicial intervention is justified where constitutional or statutory provisions are alleged to have been breached.
Affirming the lower court’s decision, the Court of Appeal declared the state congresses and national convention conducted by the David Mark-led caretaker leadership null and void for being carried out in defiance of an existing court order.
The appellate court stressed that once a dispute raises constitutional issues, it ceases to be merely an internal party matter and becomes subject to judicial review.
Consequently, the court dismissed the ADC’s appeal, upheld all the orders of the Federal High Court, and awarded ₦10 million in costs against the party.
By Chinedu Sabastine
A pro-Yoruba women group, operating under the banner of Yoruba Women in Politics (YWIP), has applauded the Deputy National Chairman (South) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Benjamin Obi Nwoye, for strengthening the party across the Southern part of Nigeria barely three months he assumed office.
They said: “Dr. Benjamin Obi Nwoye is a very honest and open person. He has done considerably well,” the group said.
He was also praised for displaying high democratic ideals and delivering electoral victories for the ruling party in Southern Nigeria.
Chairperson of the women group Mrs. Dorothy Akinyele, in a statement issued in Akure, the Ondo state capital on Saturday applauded Nwoye “for his loyalty, strength of character, and consistency of purpose to the cause of democracy.”
They expressed delight and satisfaction “with the high degree of determination so far exhibited by Nwoye to applying the principle of fair play in treating all party members and asserting independence and neutrality in most cases.”
The highly revered South West women body also commended Nwoye “for deepening the party’s structures in the South-west, South-South and South-East, empowering women and youth and building a stronger APC and a more inclusive future for Nigeria.”
In particular, the women lauded Nwoye “for mobilizing support for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election, preserving the progressive ideals upon which the APC was built and curtailing the abuse of democratic norms in the ruling party.”
According to them, “Dr. Benjamin Obi Nwoye is level headed, has milk of human kindness flowing in his veins and committed to the success of President Tinubu and the party in 2027 and beyond,” YWIP said.
It therefore, described Dr. Nwoye as “the influential exponent of national unity,” extolling him for ensuring a smooth internal
Democratic process in his home state Enugu, the coal city state.
The Presidential Candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has dismissed a public debate challenge from the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, saying the minister must first become a presidential candidate before seeking such an engagement.
Obi made the remark during an interview with media entrepreneur Chude Jideonwo, where he responded to Umahi’s challenge following his criticism of the condition of Nigerian road.
The former Anambra State governor argued that presidential debates are reserved for candidates seeking the nation’s highest office, insisting that Umahi does not fit that category.
According to Obi, the controversy over the poor state of the roads had already produced results, noting that his criticism prompted repairs.
“If he is inviting me to a debate as a presidential candidate, then he has to become a presidential candidate first,” Obi said.
Drawing an analogy with international football, the NDC presidential flagbearer likened Umahi’s challenge to a team that failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup inviting a qualified team to a match.“The World Cup is going on now. You cannot stay outside and invite a team that qualified for the World Cup to come and play against you simply because you think you are good. No. There is a qualification process,” he added.
Obi maintained that leadership should be measured by performance rather than rhetoric, suggesting that the repairs carried out after his criticism underscored the importance of holding public officials accountable.
His response comes days after Umahi declared that Obi posed no political threat to President Bola Tinubu or the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), while challenging him to a public debate over the state of federal roads and infrastructure across the country.
Ada Ogbu, who made the clarification in a statement posted on her official X account on Saturday, was responding to Keyamo’s ultimatum demanding that Obi apologise to airport officials, pay a ₦25,000 parking fine or face action by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).Executive Branch
Ogbu, who described herself as an eyewitness, maintained that she was among those who accompanied Obi to the airport on Saturday, July 4, and categorically denied the minister’s claim that the politician was driven by a police officer.
“As a member of the team that accompanied His Excellency @PeterObi to the Abuja airport on Saturday, July 4, I can state categorically that he does not have a police officer as his driver in Abuja. Therefore, if airport CCTV captured a police officer entering the driver’s seat of a vehicle, that vehicle could not have been Mr. Obi’s,” she stated.
She further argued that the incident highlighted by Keyamo was different from the one Obi narrated during his interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo.
According to her, Obi’s frequent travels across the country have exposed him and his aides to repeated hostile treatment by airport personnel.Government
“It is also important to note that Mr. Obi travels through as many as ten Nigerian airports every week. Over time, there have been several acts of hostility directed at him and members of his team by airport personnel across different locations,” Ogbu said.
She concluded that the aviation minister had referenced an entirely separate incident.
“Based on the account shared by the Honourable Minister, it is clear that the incident Mr. Obi referenced during his interview with @Chude did not occur on the date or at the airport cited by the Minister. They are plainly two different incidents.”
Her reaction comes hours after Keyamo released CCTV-based findings from an internal inquiry into the airport incident, insisting Obi must publicly apologise to airport workers and pay the prescribed parking fine within one week or risk further action by FAAN.
President Bola Tinubu on Friday formally retained Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate for the 2027 presidential election.
This was as political parties made last-minute moves to beat the Independent National Electoral Commission’s deadline for the submission of presidential and National Assembly candidates.
The ruling All Progressives Congress presented the nomination forms of Tinubu and Shettima to its National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, in Abuja for onward transmission to INEC, effectively ending months of speculation that the President could replace his deputy with a northern Christian.
The development came as INEC confirmed that it had received the presidential and vice-presidential nominations of the African Democratic Congress, Nigeria Democratic Congress, Social Democratic Party, Action Alliance, African Action Congress, Peoples Redemption Party and Young Progressives Party.
Meanwhile, several other political parties continued uploading the names of their candidates ahead of the commission’s Saturday midnight deadline.
The electoral commission had fixed July 11, 2026, as the deadline for political parties to upload the nomination forms of their presidential and National Assembly candidates through its online nomination portal in accordance with Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026.
The submission exercise, which commenced on June 27, covers Forms EC9 and EC9A to EC9E for presidential, vice-presidential, Senate and House of Representatives candidates.
According to the timetable released by the commission, political parties are expected to begin uploading the names of governorship and State House of Assembly candidates from July 18, with the exercise ending on August 8.
INEC is scheduled to publish the personal particulars of presidential and National Assembly candidates on August 1, while those of governorship and state assembly candidates will be displayed on August 29 to allow members of the public raise objections where necessary.
The commission also fixed August 22 as the deadline for the withdrawal and substitution of presidential and National Assembly candidates, while governorship and state assembly candidates have until September 19 for withdrawal or replacement in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
The July 11 deadline marks one of the most critical stages in the build-up to the 2027 general elections, as only candidates validly nominated by political parties through primaries monitored by INEC are eligible for submission.
The commission had repeatedly warned political parties against submitting the names of candidates different from those who emerged from duly monitored primaries, insisting that any nomination outside the provisions of the Electoral Act and its regulations would be rejected.
Against this backdrop, the APC used Friday’s presentation ceremony to publicly affirm its presidential ticket, signalling that it would head into the 2027 contest without altering the Muslim-Muslim ticket that secured victory in the 2023 presidential election.
Following President Tinubu’s emergence as the APC’s presidential candidate during the party’s convention, political discussions had intensified over whether the President would retain Shettima or opt for another running mate to broaden the party’s electoral appeal.
Those speculations gathered momentum in recent months amid reports that the ruling party was considering a northern Christian as vice-presidential candidate to address concerns over religious balancing.
Friday’s submission, however, ended the uncertainty, with the APC formally presenting Tinubu and Shettima as its flag bearers for the 2027 election.
The nomination documents were presented on behalf of the President by his Special Adviser on Political Matters, Ibrahim Masari, during a ceremony attended by members of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, the National Assembly, the Federal Executive Council, the APC National Working Committee, state chairmen of the party and APC governorship candidates.
Earlier, the APC National Organising Secretary, Sulaiman Argungu, described the event as the formal presentation of the duly completed nomination forms of the party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
Argungu noted that President Tinubu had earlier secured the party’s presidential ticket through what he described as a transparent primary election, and urged party members to remain united ahead of the 2027 polls.
He also commended the President for what he described as the achievements of his administration before formally handing over the nomination documents to the APC National Chairman for onward submission to INEC.
Speaking on behalf of APC governors, Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, reaffirmed the governors’ support for President Tinubu and the party leadership.
“We are delighted that this event is coming after a well-organised and thoroughly supervised primary process. We reiterate our commitment to continue supporting President Tinubu and the party,” he said.
Uzodimma said the APC remained committed to internal democracy and inclusiveness, adding that the governors would continue mobilising support for the President across the country.
“We will continue to support him in the larger interest of Nigerians and to take the country to greater heights. To the National Working Committee, we reaffirm our support. Together, we are going to deliver victory for President Tinubu and ensure the party wins all elective positions, including the National and State Assemblies,” he added.
Receiving the nomination forms, APC National Chairman, Prof. Yilwatda, described the event as a reflection of the confidence reposed in President Tinubu by millions of party members across the country.
According to him, the President’s endorsement by members of the party demonstrated widespread support for his administration and its policies.
He stated, “Today is a reflection of the wishes of over 12 million members of the APC who overwhelmingly voted for Mr. President as the party’s candidate for the 2027 presidential election. We are proud that APC members across the country cast over 12 million votes for Mr. President and overwhelmingly endorsed him.
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