Dele Momodu, a prominent figure in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has stated that the party has treated the South fairly and asserted that only a northern candidate can effectively challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking on Arise TV on Wednesday, Momodu responded to the recent defection of Ifeanyi Okowa, the former Delta State governor and PDP vice-presidential candidate in 2023, by labeling his move as opportunistic.
“Going to the APC [for Okowa] was an opportunistic move. Why the hurry? Tinubu has not even done half-time,” he said.
Momodu also refuted Okowa’s claim that Atiku Abubakar was planning to defect to the APC.
“The Atiku that I know is not a desperate politician; his description is that of a consummate democrat. I met him about three to four weeks ago in Abuja, and he told me politics for him is a game that should be played in a clean manner. You win, fine; you don’t, you go back to the drawing board. That is why you will never find thugs in front of his house. To say Atiku is going to APC is impossible; I can guarantee you,” Momodu stated.
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Momodu insisted that Atiku’s ambition has never dictated the direction of the PDP.
He then argued that the PDP has been fair to the South, citing the presidencies of Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan.
“PDP does not have a North-South problem. The PDP fielded General Obasanjo from 1999 to 2007. Thereafter, Yar’Adua came in but unfortunately passed away in office, and Goodluck Jonathan completed the term. Jonathan then did another four years, ending in 2015. They still gave him the ticket again that year, which he lost to Buhari. Had he won, southerners would have ruled for 17 of the PDP’s 20 years in power. We must not run away from the truth: the PDP has been fair to the South,” he said.
Momodu also alleged that Atiku supported zoning the presidency to the South-East during the 2023 primaries and that Peter Obi was “frustrated out” of the PDP.
He added that Nyesom Wike was at one point willing to be Atiku’s running mate.
Addressing Bayo Onanuga’s dismissal of opposition coalition talks, Momodu insisted that the coalition was worth pursuing. “It will not happen until it has been tried and tested. I have a theory that Tinubu can only be countered this time by a northerner. Any southerner telling you they want to contest against Tinubu is only wasting their time. The PDP or the coalition also want power, and the only way they can get it is to go by Isaac Newton’s law of actions and reactions, which are always equal and opposite. So, they will come from the opposite direction; I can guarantee that,” he said.
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