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Intimidation, blackmail won’t guarantee Tinubu’s second term – Dele Momodu
Dele Momodu, journalist and Peoples Democratic Party chieftain, Dele Momodu, on Monday warned President Bola Tinubu that no amount of intimidation and blackmail of the opposition could guarantee him a second term in office, urging him to reverse such anti-democratic tactics.
A guest of The Morning Brief, a breakfast programme on Channels Television, Momodu, himself once a presidential candidate, while weighing in on the current political crisis in Rivers State, where a State of Emergency was imposed a fortnight ago by the President, described the move as undemocratic.
The outspoken critic, particularly bemoaned the suspension of the democratic structures in the state including Siminalayi Fubara, the State Governor and members of the House of Assembly, with whom he had been at war since October 2023,
Momodu, who reminded the President that the office he now enjoyed was what other prominent leaders, including the late Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola and Obafemi Awolowo failed to attain, adding that he was embarrassed at the use he had put the opportunity.
Hear him: “I think it is very unfortunate. I know President Tinubu very, very, very well. Though I’ve not been in the same party with him and all that, we were together in exile, and he fought gallantly for this democracy. So, a lot of us, co-comrades at that time, are actually very embarrassed that we have a pro-democracy leader in government, and yet what we are witnessing is worse than dictatorship.
“And I have said it openly so many times, in many open letters, you can fail in economy, no problem; people will forgive you and say you’re not a professor of economics. You can fail in other areas, but don’t fail in democracy.
“You must deepen our democracy, which President Goodluck Jonathan succeeded in doing, which Obasanjo succeeded in doing, despite allegations and accusations of a third term attempt, still managed to hand over power to President Yar’Adua.
“So, but now, it is less than two years into this government and we’re witnessing crisis upon crisis, just because some people want second term. God gave you what he did not give Abiola, what he did not give Olu Falae, what he did not give Chief Obafemi Awolowo. These were great leaders. They didn’t have it. Now you have it. How you manage it is what matters.
“I’m pleading with President Bola Tinubu, ‘Please don’t kill democracy in Nigeria.’ Everybody who loves him will tell him this. I don’t; I’ve not asked him for anything, but we love him for his contributions to the democracy, which is fast going down the drain. You do not need to hand over your future to gods with feet of clay. I’ve written this over and over again. You should just hold on to God. If God says you’ll be there forever, so be it. But don’t force it.
“What we’re seeing now is an attempt to force all governors in Nigeria to follow him by fire by force. It is wrong. If some people did not allow you to try, you will not be where you are today. So, leave these governors in their states. If they are in PDP, they’re in Labour, if they’re in APGA, wherever they are, allow them to thrive in opposition. That is the meaning of democracy.
Stressing that Tinubu was hostile to dissenting voices, Momodu, also accused the ruling All Progressives Congress of intimidating the opposition said the government now thrived in blackmailing everybody, warning the President against being misled by advisers.
“That is too clear. I’m unequivocal about that and I can see them blackmailing everybody. Once you speak – I remember our governor in Bauchi State spoke the other day. By the following day, they had picked up one of his key officials and took him away. I remember when Bola Tinubu was being harassed by the Code of Conduct Tribunal, we all rouse up stoutly to defend him – that you cannot just oppress a man just because he is in opposition.
“That is why we are saying it confidently and openly, that Tinubu should not repeat this same nonsense that some people did to him in the past that we all went against. We went against it. Today, everybody is afraid. You know, I’m in the system. Everybody is now dealing with Tinubu with trepidation. You see opposition governors, everybody falling over themselves to praise him.
“You see, people will deceive you when you have too much power. But watch your back. Just watch your back. Some of your best allies, you’ll be shocked what they will say behind you. I know what they say behind him. So, I’m talking to him, so that he will not say, Dele, why didn’t you tell me at that time.
“I’m saying it now openly to millions of Nigerians that people are deceiving President Tinubu, and he should not allow people to deceive him. He should just do his job.
“He should just do his job. The only thing that can guarantee a second term is to do your job well. You do not need to intimidate anybody. Don’t intimidate Peter Obi, don’t intimidate Atiku, don’t intimidate anybody, because you thrived in opposition.”
Peter Obi, candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has given assignment to Nigerians to put all those aspiring to take up political positions in the country through the grill to ascertain their level of integrity, saying it was required as a sine qua non for the job they seek.
Obi, who has been a subject of discussion in the polity since the allegation of corruption was levied against him by Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesman of his campaign in 2023, over the conduct of the party’s primaries to choose candidates for the 2027 general elections, said the grilling must start with his own person.
A guest in an interview on a podcast with Rufai Oseni, a popular television anchor, the former Governor of Anambra State, stated that it was actually for this reason that he had now sworn to see the litigation he instituted against Okonkwo through.
His take is that the Nollywood actor should use the courtrooms to give all the details of bad behaviour, following his threat to expose him fully, after alleging that he was collecting money from aspirants in the said election for electoral favours.
Hear him: “The issue of taking Kenneth Okonkwo to court wouldn’t have arisen if he had stopped at those allegations. But he claimed he still has more he would expose about me in the future. So, I am very happy to take him to court so that he can expose me publicly, alongside other Nigerians. If any of them has any criminal allegations against me, they should bring them to court.
“Not just Kenneth, everybody should now say those things they know that is bad about me or I did that is wrong because it’s good for the system, it’s good for the society,” Obi said.
“So, if you know that when we were in primary school, this man was cheating or didn’t go to the primary school, didn’t go to secondary school, didn’t do, if you know this man has done something criminal somewhere, this is time to bring it up.”
For the umpteenth time, Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has warned about the dangerous implication of using state institutions, particularly the judiciary to destroy Nigeria’s democracy, saying it is an ill-wind that blows nobody any good.
Atiku, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), speaking on the heels of Tuesday’s verdict of the Court of Appeal, halting the de-registration order by the Federal High Court, insisted that judicial officers must not lend themselves to any act capable of undermining the nation’s democratic process.
The appellate court had ordered a stay of execution on the order made on Monday by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court Abuja, for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the ADC alongside four other political parties).
A totally scandalised Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, had taken umbrage, sparing no hard words in upbraiding the lower court judge, stating that his likes were unfit to sit on the bench.
In a unanimous ruling by a three-man panel, the court held that Lifu’s action was “the highest form of judicial impertinence”, stressing that the Supreme Court previously held that a judge who acted in such a manner.
Describing his conduct as the height of judicial rascality, the upper court, stated: “Courts are enjoined to protect their integrity. This Court has supervisory authority over the trial court.
“The decision of the lower court to proceed with the judgment despite the express order of this court is a brazen violation of the hierarchy of the court and the 1999 Constitution.
This court has the duty to invoke its powers in ensuring that its orders are obeyed. The application for a stay of execution is here yet granted. The enforcement of the judgment is stayed.”
Atiku, who hailed the position of the higher court, which restored his hope to be on the ballot as presidential candidate in the 2027 election, also noted the role of INEC as “significant.”
He said: “I welcome the Court of Appeal’s decision to stay the execution of the Federal High Court judgement seeking the deregistration of our great party, the ADC, and four other political parties. It is particularly significant that INEC itself initiated the application for the stay.
“The development reflects growing public concern over judicial contradictions and politically charged rulings within the judiciary. “Any attempt to undermine Nigeria’s hard-won democracy through judicial manipulation is a grave danger to the Republic. If our democracy suffers further injury, history will demand accountability from those entrusted with dispensing justice.
Outside ADC, Lifu’s order, also included: Action Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), similarly slammed for allegedly failing to meet the constitutional requirements for continued registration and participation in elections.
“He is running in contempt of the court. Justice Lifu should be arrested because he is acting in contempt of the court which is a criminal act,” were the exact words with which the African Democratic Congress (ADC), demonstrated its angst over the court ruling on Monday, ordering its de-registration as a political party in Nigeria.
A furious Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesman of the party, told his host while appearing as a guest on Monday’s edition of Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television that the judge of the Abuja Federal High Court who gave the order was actually playing with fire because of the consequences.
Directly accusing him of playing the script of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to ensure that President Bola Tinubu emerged the sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election, the party spokesman, was emphatic that the plan would not work, as head or tail, ADC must be on the ballot in all the elections.
Hear him: “There is a Court of Appeal order saying don’t hear this case until October 27. So, on what basis? You can’t place something on nothing. The Court of Appeal said don’t act on this until I hear it on October 27. So, on what basis did he deliver the judgement
“So, for us in the African Democratic Congress, what we’re convinced and they know is what they have done has no leg to stand on legally. What they want to do is to create doubts in the minds of the people that this ADC has too many legal cases, can we actually run on this? And to distract us. But we’re not distracted.
“We’re very clear. It was in spite of all they have done since ADC came on board that we ran one of the best and one of the most comprehensive direct primaries in the history of democracy in Nigeria. So, we are strong enough to withstand this. And that’s why I’m saying that we are going to contest in 2027. We’re ADC. We don’t buckle before dictatorship.”
Stressing on the implication of the judgement, which also affected Accord Party (AP), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) for allegedly failing to meet constitutional and electoral performance requirements, following a suit by the National Forum of Former Legislators, he said it portended grave danger.
He added: “We are not surprised. We know that the Nigerian people believe that there is a problem with the judiciary, but what we did not expect is the level of judicial rascality that was demonstrated today.
“What we are saying is that we reject it in its totality, and we are saying that the people behind this are playing with fire. Hundreds, if not thousands, have obtained nomination forms and contested elections and emerged as candidates on the platform of the ADC.”
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