Dele Momodu blasts Wike, others over roles in deepening PDP crisis

Mr Momodu said Mr Wike and his allies in the PDP do not care if the party dies.

Ovation magazine publisher and former presidential aspirant, Dele Momodu, criticised on Monday the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and their allies over their roles and his allies in the deepening leadership crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Mr Momodu, who contested the party’s presidential ticket in the lead-up to the 2023 presidential election, appeared on Channels Television’s prime time programme, Politics Today, where he reacted to the remarks of former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose during his previous appearance as a guest on the same programme.

Mr Fayose is an ally of Mr Wike, who has been accused of fuelling the crisis in the PDP while serving as the FCT minister in the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government.

During his appearance on the television show Mr described as “embarrassing” the crisis, which has led to two separate groups laying claim to the leadership of the PDP.

“If they say it is embarrassing, they know what to do, I have never seen a situation where an opposition party will voluntarily, openly, shamelessly work for the ruling party, we are supposed to be an opposition,” Mr Momodu said.

He continued, “Everybody knows; even members of APC, they know that these guys are playing games. They are hoping that somewhere along the line, President Tinubu may not run in 2027, and then they will hold PDP down so that they can use PDP, because they know APC will never give them their platform. Nobody is going to allow you after destroying your own home to come and destroy their own. Everybody knows.”

Festering crisis within the party escalated on Thursday when the National Working Committee (NWC) suspended Debo Ologunagba, the National Publicity Secretary, and Kamaldeen Ajibade, the National Legal Adviser.

However, on Friday, Mr Ologunagba, in turn, announced the suspension of the party’s acting national chairman, Umar Damagun, and the National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, thus splitting the NWC, tasked with the party’s daily administration, into two.

Mr Ologunagba, allegedly enjoying the support of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, subsequently announced Mr Mohammed as the acting national chairperson.

On the same day, the Federal High Court in Abuja issued an order that Mr Damagum should be recognised as the PDP national chair until the party’s national convention, scheduled for December 2025.

During the press conference, Mr Manga, whom the Damagun group appointed to act as the party’s spokesperson, said the group would deploy security personnel to arrest any party members violating the court order.

Following Mr Damagun’s eligibility issue and alleged anti-party activities, Yayari Mohammed was appointed to act as the party’s national chair by a faction of the party.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that despite the court order barring him to act as the party’s chair, Mr Mohammed went on to assume office.

Lamenting the party’s situation on Monday, Mr Momodu said, “This has gone beyond PDP, APC.”

“A few guys are holding Nigeria to ransom, they are creating chaos up and down, it is unfortunate,” he said.

Momodu recommends solution

Mr Momodu advised the warring factions especially the Wike’s loyalists in PDP to sheathe their swords and let bygones be, or leave the party if dissatisfied.

“The elders of PDP will have to apply a lot of wisdom as well as a lot of courage. Right now, the people they are dealing with are reckless. They don’t care,” Mr Momodu said.

“They don’t care if PDP dies, if they cannot have it, then (they will) kill it. They’ve made up their minds on that.”

He cautioned the warring factions against leading the party to ruins.

Further speaking on Nigeria’s challenging economy, Mr Momodu expressed his lack of faith in the country’s political leaders to steer the country.

He accused politicians of making empty promises.

“I am yet to see the sign of that light at the end of the tunnel…I want Nigeria to be good, so it is not in my interest for Nigeria to collapse,” he said.

Deepening crisis

The latest wave of crisis in the PDP dates back to 2022, in the aftermath of the party’s keenly contested presidential election.

After losing the 2022 presidential primary election to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Mr Wike pitched his tent with the then APC candidate Bola Tinubu, who went on to win the presidential election in 2023. Mr Wike openly campaigned for Mr Tinubu, citing his commitment to the principle of fairness, which he believed necessitated a shift of power to the south following, a northerner, President Muhammadu Buhari’s eight-year tenure.

Since then, the party is believed to have been divided along the camps of Atiku and Wike, who was later appointed as a minister in Tinubu’s administration.

Mr Damagun was accused of being working with Mr Wike, who is said to have one leg in the PDP and the other in APC.

Critics also argue that, under the PDP constitution, Mr Dangun was not eligible to succeed Iyorchia Ayu. They cited the provision of the party’s constitution that prescribes that the successor of a chair that leaves without completing his or her tenure must come from the same region as him or her.

Others have also criticised Atiku tearing the party apart with his abiding presidential ambition, which he refused to rein in when he ought to leave the stage for presidential aspirants to jostle for the party’s ticket in 2022 in line with the party’s rotational, zoning principles.