Former presidential aspirant under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dele Momodu, has advised President Bola Tinubu not to place blind trust in defecting politicians, urging him instead to uphold the core values of democracy and allow political freedom to flourish in Nigeria.
Momodu made this statement on Wednesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he addressed the wave of defections from the PDP to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), most notably in Delta State.
Momodu’s comment followed the defection of Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, his deputy, Monday Onyeme, and former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to the All Progressives Congress, along with commissioners and key PDP stakeholders in the state on Wednesday.
Reacting to the political realignments, the 64-year-old said, “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.”
Issuing a direct message to President Tinubu, 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 PDP stalwart cautioned the president against veering away from democratic values.
“My advice to him is simple: uphold our democratic tenets. Do not turn Nigeria into a democratic dictatorship. No matter what happens, you were a pro-democracy man before becoming president. Please, allow democracy to breathe in Nigeria. If you don’t, I can bet my life that later in life it will be deeply regrettable,” he said.
Political Survival Or Allegiance
According to the Ovation International publisher, the trend is more a reflection of political survival than genuine allegiance.
“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.
“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 noted.
Momodu further alleged that most politicians have, at one time or another, faced intimidation or investigation from anti-corruption bodies.
“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 said.
