Media mogul and PDP chieftain Dele Momodu has cautioned President Bola Tinubu against assuming that recent political defections to the All Progressives Congress are acts of loyalty or a reflection of public approval.
Speaking on Politics Today on Channels Television on Wednesday, April 23, Momodu offered a frank critique of the political realignments in Delta State, where Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, his deputy Monday Onyeme, and former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa recently dumped the PDP for the APC, alongside several commissioners and key party figures.
“I’m not surprised about it, it’s been under serious harassment in recent times; it’s nothing new. What would surprise me is if President Bola Tinubu truly believes people are joining the APC because they love him or because he is doing fantastically well,” he stated.
Addressing Tinubu directly, Momodu said, “My advice to Asiwaju is that he should not trust these politicians. Right now, everyone can see that he is determined to get a second term.
“God gave him the first term, not through coercion. I don’t know why he now believes he must secure a second term through it.”
The Ovation publisher described the defections not as ideological shifts but as a response to political pressure, arguing that fear of prosecution or political persecution is now driving decision-making among elites.
“What people are doing now is a game of survival. Gone are the days when we used to boast that going to prison made one a martyr,” he said.
He lamented that political courage, once symbolised by figures like Mandela and Abiola, is now scarce.
“We once admired the likes of Nelson Mandela, MKO Abiola, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, for enduring detention in the name of principle. These days, nobody wants to go to detention,” he said.
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Momodu alleged that harassment from anti-corruption agencies has become a tool of control in today’s political climate.
“Everybody wants to stay at home and talk about the money they’ve made from politics. Name one politician who has not been harassed by either the EFCC or the ICPC at some point,” he added.
He accused the Tinubu-led administration of using pressure rather than persuasion to consolidate power.
“For me, it’s clear that this government’s strategy is: ‘if we can’t persuade you, we’ll force you’. And for now, that force appears to be working. But politics can change in 24 hours,” he said.
Momodu also used the opportunity to express concern about Nigeria’s democratic health, saying the president’s recent actions, including the controversial suspension of key officials in Rivers State, were troubling.
“I’m pleading with President Bola Tinubu, please don’t kill democracy in Nigeria. You can fail in the economy, and people might forgive you. But if you fail in democracy, history will not be kind,” he said.
Reflecting on Tinubu’s past as a pro-democracy figure, he added, “He fought for this democracy in exile; it would be a tragedy if he becomes the one to suffocate it.”
Momodu warned that sycophants may be misleading the president and stressed that genuine leadership must be rooted in respect for democratic ideals and freedoms.