The publisher of Ovation Magazine, Dele Momodu, has urged President Bola Tinubu to cease promoting the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, ahead of the 2027 general elections, citing Wike’s questionable character and erratic attitude.
Speaking on Channels Politics Today in response to Wike’s recent appearance on a television programme in which the minister attacked political rivals and former associates, Momodu described Wike’s behaviour as “a public display of someone who has lost control,” warning that such a figure should not be elevated to positions of greater national influence.
“My appeal to President Bola Tinubu is that no matter what you are expecting to gain from Wike in 2027, he is not the kind of character you should promote,” Momodu said. “Not the kind of man who should hijack our collective patrimony.”
Momodu, who stood for president under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023, attributed his disagreement with Wike to their shared presidential ambitions.
He claimed he had formally written to Wike to advise him of his decision to run, only to be warned by a previous president that the PDP ticket had become prohibitively expensive.
“Wike had raised the stakes to $30,000 per delegate. That’s over N17 billion. Even if I sold my entire family, I couldn’t raise that kind of money,” he stated.
Momodu further alleged that Wike mocked his candidacy publicly. “He went on air and laughed at me, asking what someone like me who lives on Twitter was doing in the race. That’s when I knew this wasn’t just politics; it was personal,” he said.
Despite acknowledging past professional relationships, Momodu insisted that his media company added significant value to Wike.
“We helped polish his image. We trained him in public speaking. But you can take a man out of the bush; you can’t take the bush out of the man,” he said.
Momodu recalled Wike’s early political career, saying he once liked his former boss, Rotimi Amaechi, but everything changed once Wike ascended to power.
He likened Wike’s current behaviour to intoxication. “What I saw on display last Friday was a man soaked in esoteric spirits. Alcohol and drugs often have the same effect,” Momodu said.
The remarks add to the mounting tension inside the PDP and the broader political discourse ahead of the 2027 polls, with Wike remaining a divisive character both within his party and across the political scene.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")