Atiku, Peter Obi, Amaechi Jostling for Presidential Ticket — Dele Momodu

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Chief Dele Momodu, has addressed concerns over growing rivalry in the party.

Speaking during an appearance on Arise News on Monday, Momodu stated that every major political figure is vying for the presidential ticket.

He, however, expressed confidence that despite multiple presidential hopefuls within the ADC, the party would eventually unite behind one candidate.

Momodu said, “Everyone is fighting. Atiku believes he deserves the right to get the ticket. Peter Obi believes he must get the ticket. Rotimi Amaechi believes the same thing. Why would anybody want to contest an election if they don’t think they can win?

“There are so many men of timber and calibre in ADC already who want to run. One of them will get the ticket, and by the grace of God, others will support him.”

Asked directly whether either Atiku Abubakar or Peter Obi should step down, Momodu rejected the idea, stressing that primaries, not consensus, should determine the party’s flagbearer.

“There is no question of stepping down for anybody. A primary is an election. Consensus is where you step down. We have not reached that stage,” he said.

However, he made it clear that Atiku remained his personal choice, describing the former vice president as a “candidate of necessity.”

“Based on mathematics, based on experience, based on exposure, Atiku Abubakar is the most experienced man we will have in the race today. If you are looking at national formidability, it is Atiku,” he maintained.

Momodu argued that Nigeria’s electoral reality required cold political calculations rather than sentiment.

“The first thing on the card in 2027 will be ethnicity. Every region is aggrieved. This is a game of numbers. You have to sit down and compute where the votes will come from,” he said.

Addressing concerns about Atiku’s age, Momodu dismissed them, noting that similar scrutiny was not applied to President Tinubu.

“I don’t see much difference between the ages of Atiku and Tinubu, and I have not heard anyone complain about Tinubu’s age,” he argued.

He added that Nigeria’s constitution does not mandate rotational presidency.

“There is nothing in the constitution of Nigeria that says you must do eight years here and eight years there. Power is not automatic because you come from a particular zone,” he said.

On public distrust of political defectors, Momodu said defections were neither illegal nor unusual in Nigeria’s political system.

“There is nothing in the constitution of Nigeria that stops people from defecting. Even the constitutional provisions have not been respected by the ruling party,” the Ovation publisher said.

He concluded by reiterating that defeating the APC would require experience, unity, and strategic alliances.

“Tinubu is not someone who will go down easily. You need people who have been tried and tested. Otherwise, let us forget it,” he stated.