A two-term Presidential aspirant and a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dele Momodu, has raised alarm that Nigeria’s democracy is in danger.
Momodu said the country is going back to a civilian dictatorship.
He stated this when he featured on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday.
He added that the situation is especially sad as the country prepares to mark Democracy Day.
He stated, “I’m very happy that today coincides with the lead-up to June 12 (Democracy Day), so that if we still have any iota of conscience left, we’ll realise we have damaged this democracy.
“The summary of it all is that on the eve of June 12, Nigeria is virtually back to civilian dictators who don’t care how you feel or what you think. Nigerians are hungry.”
Momodu blamed both elected officials and government institutions for ignoring the people, saying the leaders are bold and shameless in how they treat Nigerians.
He said, “We’ve damaged this democracy, and I hope we’ve not damaged it beyond repair because the audacity, the effrontery of this set of politicians, whether in the executive, legislature, or local government, is totally unbelievable.”
He added that those who fought and died for Nigeria’s democracy during the June 12 struggle would be heartbroken if they were alive today.
“All those who suffered for this democracy, especially those who are now in heaven—if they can see us, they would be crying,” he noted.
On the crisis within the PDP, Momodu blamed the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, for taking over the party and causing chaos.
“It sounds ridiculous that one man, who should be busy in Abuja, is dictating where the PDP presidential ticket should go in 2027. What Wike is doing is a rehash of what he did in Rivers State—and he is clearly doing so with the backing of those at the top.”
“Where was Wike during the June 12 struggle? Who knew him then? But today, he speaks as if he’s the founding father of Nigeria,” he stated.
He also blamed Wike for the crisis in Rivers State, saying it led to the state of emergency.
He noted, “A major crisis of monumental dimension was orchestrated and aggravated by one man. Just because he wouldn’t go away quietly, a state of emergency had to be declared. It’s unprecedented in Nigeria’s history.”
He described Wike’s actions as a “coup” against the PDP, accusing him of forcing his will on the party.
Momodu stated, “What he’s doing now is tantamount to staging a coup against the party that made him everything he is today. He does not have the moral right to dictate the direction of the PDP.”
Momodu also reacted to President Bola Tinubu’s comments during the reopening of the Abuja International Conference Centre.
Recall that Tinubu had referred to some Nigerians as “busybodies” and “bystanders,”.
This, however, did not sit well with Momodu, who found it disturbing.
“I listened to the President refer to concerned Nigerians as ‘busybodies’ and ‘bystanders.’ Who is a bystander in his own country? All because of one man, Wike.”
“Wike was dancing after commissioning a centre said to have cost over ₦30 billion. Right now, it feels like we have two presidents in Nigeria,” he complained.
Despite the issues in PDP, Momodu said he would never join the ruling APC.
He insisted, “If I wanted to join the APC, I wouldn’t be speaking to you like this. I’d be giving excuses, like the rest. But my soul is out of PDP—I cannot sit in a room where one man dictates to adults who have served Nigeria all their lives.”
He ended by warning that Nigeria is moving dangerously towards autocracy unless the country fixes its political system.
He added, “PDP is part of its own problem, no doubt. But people like Wike, doing what they do with impunity, are taking us dangerously backwards.”
