Dele Momodu backs Atiku as his top ADC choice, urges democratic primaries and defends rights of Obidients, Atikulates, and Amaechi supporters
The publisher of Ovation magazine, Chief Dele Momodu, has restated his support for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to emerge as the presidential candidate of the opposition coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
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Momodu clarified that his endorsement of Atiku does not undermine the rights of supporters of other aspirants, including those backing Peter Obi.
Speaking on Politics Today on Channels Television, he stressed that his personal preference is not a directive but a democratic choice.
“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,” he stated.
Dele Momodu explained that Atiku remains his top pick among all presidential hopefuls in the ADC.
He argued that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) appears to favour a southern candidate for the ADC in a bid to sideline Atiku, whom they view as a strong contender.
He said, “The people who are most aggrieved today are in the northern part of Nigeria. If you listen to Wike very well, they’ve all been campaigning that the next president should still come from 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.”
Momodu suggested that the campaign of calumny against Atiku is a reflection of fear within the APC camp.
“The moment they started pushing campaigns of calumny against Atiku, you must know that they feel threatened by Atiku,” he said.
He called for a fair and transparent primary process in the ADC and urged all aspirants to test their popularity at the grassroots level.
“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.”
Momodu concluded by encouraging supporters to mobilise behind their preferred candidates.
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“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.”
