PDP govs might be working for Tinubu’s second term – Dele Momodu

Veteran journalist and politician, Dele Momodu, has faulted the decision of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum to distance itself from the newly formed opposition coalition led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

Speaking on Prime Time, a programme on Arise TV on Monday evening, Momodu warned that the governors’ refusal to join the coalition could be interpreted as indirect support for President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Recall that Atiku, alongside former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, recently announced the formation of an opposition alliance aimed at unseating Tinubu in 2027. However, the PDP Governors’ Forum, after a meeting in Ibadan, declared that it would not be a part of the coalition.

Reacting to this development, Momodu said, “Opposition leaders are very determined to work together this time around. The truth of the matter is that Atiku cannot do it alone, Peter Obi cannot do it alone, and neither can Kwankwaso or anyone else. They have to find a way to pay APC back in its own coin.”

He further argued that if PDP governors were unwilling to participate in coalition politics, it raised legitimate concerns about their loyalty to the party’s broader opposition mandate.

“If our PDP governors are saying, ‘Oh, we don’t go into coalitions,’ it means you are probably working for a Tinubu presidency,” he stated.

Momodu criticized what he described as widespread political timidity, saying too many political figures were panicking over potential intimidation from state institutions.

“People panic because of Tinubu, ‘oh they are going to use EFCC, they are going to arrest me,’ but power is not offered on a platter,” he said.

Drawing on history, Momodu recalled how former Lagos Governor Bola Tinubu successfully resisted pressure from the Obasanjo-led federal government by standing firm.

“A bully only respects a bully. That’s how Lagos under Tinubu survived blistering attacks from Obasanjo’s government,” he added.

He called on opposition leaders to learn from political history and urged unity, warning that any lawmaker or politician tempted to defect could find themselves politically stranded.

“This thing is doable if they agree to work together,” Momodu concluded.