The publisher of Ovation Magazine, Dele Momodu, has claimed that President Bola Tinubu is the one who forced opposition leaders such as Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso into working together ahead of the 2027 elections.
Speaking in an interview on Channels Television on Wednesday, Momodu argued that the current unity among some opposition figures is not born out of genuine long-term commitment but is a reaction to pressure from the ruling government.
“Tinubu forced all of them together. And that is why they all moved in one direction. Which would have been beautiful, because it would have been like a two-party race,” Momodu said.
The ADC chieftain made the comment while reacting to the defection of Obi and Kwankwaso to the Nigerian Democratic Congress.
Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate for 2023, and Kwankwaso, the former New Nigeria People’s Party presidential candidate, departed the ADC on Sunday, citing legal conflicts inside the alliance and a toxic political climate.
The move spurred speculation about a combined presidential ticket for the two opposition figures in the 2027 election.
Momodu, on the other hand, emphasized that the political landscape has altered dramatically since the 2023 election and cautioned against assuming that prominent candidates will automatically retain votes.
“Are you saying that Tinubu will retain all the 8 million plus people that voted for him last time? How are you sure… What is the guarantee that Obi and Kwankwaso are the only people who will retain all those who voted for them last time? The situation has changed,” he queried.
Momodu further stated that if Tinubu accepts a free and fair election, “he might not even get 3 million votes.”
He noted the poor performance of some G5 governors who failed to capture Senate seats in their states, like Enugu, Abia, and Benue, as evidence of shifting voter loyalty.
On coalition talks, the ADC chairman stated that his party remains committed and steadfast.
He encouraged people who wanted to join but rejected any type of extortion or the notion that triumph is contingent on a single man.
“Those who want to join should join. Those who do not want to join cannot succumb to blackmail. That only one man can make us win,” he declared.
He mentioned that the 2019 alliance between Atiku Abubakar and Obi did not produce victory, while their separate contests in 2023 also failed to unseat the ruling party.
He exhorted politicians to stay cool, paraphrasing his late unlettered mother: “Stop running from whatever is chasing you, because you might run into what is chasing you.”
He wished the former Anambra governor luck, emphasizing that no one should be driven out of the contest because of one person’s assertions.
