The publisher of Ovation magazine and a well known figure in the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Dele Momodu, has once again made it clear that he stands firmly behind former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the race for the presidential ticket of the opposition alliance under the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Momodu, a veteran journalist and former presidential hopeful, noted that while he is throwing his weight behind Atiku, supporters of Labour Party’s Peter Obi—popularly known as “Obidients”—have every right to continue backing their preferred candidate. He stressed that democracy allows everyone to freely support whoever they believe in.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Momodu explained his position, saying, “My best choice is Atiku. And that is what I expect Obidients to say, which I expect those who support Amaechi to say. 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 further noted that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) appears to be pushing for a southern candidate to emerge from the opposition coalition because they are uneasy about Atiku’s influence.
“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. 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,” Momodu stated.
He also shared his views on how candidates within the coalition should prove their popularity. According to him, everyone should be allowed to compete in a fair primary without being imposed on others.
“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. 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 said.
He continued by encouraging supporters of all presidential hopefuls to take their campaigns to the field, noting, “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.”
