Dele Momodu is a former presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In this interview monitored on Channels Television, he speaks on the crisis rocking the party, why some members are determined to destabilise the party and the struggle ahead of the 2027 general election, ANAYO EZUGWU brings the excerpts
How do you feel about what is happening within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which a former governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, described as embarrassing? Yes, he was right that it is embarrassing. But who are the people causing the embarrassment?
They are members of his group led by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), former Governor Nyesom Wike. So, if he says it is embarrassing, they know what to do because I have never seen a situation where an opposition party would voluntarily, openly and shamelessly work for the ruling party.
We are supposed to be in opposition. I learned from my friends, who are lawyers that a man cannot be a judge in his case, but now, PDP;s acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, is a judge and he is not satisfied with being a judge, he is now a security man who will unleash security on fellow members of his party. This tells you what is going on in our party. It is very unfortunate.
You alleged that Ayo Fayose and his group are responsible for the crisis in PDP; how do you know and what makes you think they are responsible?
Truth is constant and they never hid their mission in the struggle ongoing in the PDP. You can go on Google and search all the things they have said.
They boasted that they worked for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election and they have also said in advance that they will work for him in 2027, and they will remain in PDP and they will not leave PDP, so that that they can continue to hold PDP down and press its neck on behalf of whoever they are working for. But, ultimately, they are working for themselves because they also have their game plan.
Every body knows; even members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) know that these guys are playing games and they are hoping that somewhere along the line, President Tinubu may not run in 2027 and then they will hold the PDP down, so that they can use PDP because they know that APC will never give them their platform.
Nobody gives you their platform to come and destroy the way you did to your party. As a journalist, I interact at the highest level and the lowest level, I have access to information, and unfortunately, these guys are leading PDP to Golgotha.
The constitution of the party is very clear; if Dr. Iyorchia Ayu has left, the next person to occupy that position must come from his part of the country, the North Central zone of Nigeria. At the last check, I didn’t see that Damagum is from North Central.
So, why is he fighting tooth and nail to hold on to power like a military dictator? What is the possibility of some of those who are respected in the party like Atiku Abubakar intervening in the matter? Two things; you said they claimed that they have laboured for the party but the party has laboured for most of them.
They have gained more from the party than the party ever gained from them. Secondly, have you seen a woman who would fall into labour and after delivering the baby, will now say because she is fighting her husband for whatever reason, will say she is going to kill her baby. Is that possible? It is a simple logic.
I went to Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife and we were taught logic. These guys don’t apply logic to anything they are saying. You are saying that Atiku should rein them in when Atiku is their main target.
You heard everything that Fayose said; that Atiku should get out of politics. Is that democracy? I don’t care if Atiku decides not to run in 2027 because that is his business, but it is not Fayose that will tell Atiku whether to run or not to run. If he says Atiku is too old to run, let him come out and say Tinubu should not run in 2027.
Let Wike come and tell Tinubu not to run in 2027. We fought for this democracy because I’m a part-time politician and a man of modest income. I’m not chasing anything in PDP or outside PDP but I just want Nigeria to be good because if Nigeria is good, you don’t need a godfather and you don’t have to depend on politics for a living.
A lot of people in Nigeria depend permanently on politics for a living and we have told them many times that ‘you lost a primary election in 2022, get over it and get a life.
You are crying like a baby every day whose lollipop has been taken away from him. Atiku defeated you, get a life because you already have a life and God has been kind to you.’
You did well as governor in Rivers State and now you are a Minister, why can’t you face that business I don’t blame them; it is the President who has refused to rein them in because it is not Atiku who will rein them in because they don’t report to him.
Atiku is not their boss and he is not dictatorial because there is no single state that Atiku controls in Nigeria where you will say the governor is under his watch. Atiku is a businessman who lives his life quietly with his family and runs his chains of businesses admirably.
So, let these guys leave him alone to face his life and let them also face their own lives. If they like, let them kill PDP because it is obvious they don’t care if PDP dies.
They are only holding PDP because they are hoping that in the future they will be able to use PDP to achieve their ambition. There is no doubt that some people within that group still have presidential ambition because I know two or three of them who have personal ambition but there is one of them that will never agree for any other person to take charge because he must always be in charge.
So, Damagum and his people know what they are doing. Now, we are losing elections due to lack of concentration not because PDP is not popular but because it requires concerted effort. You cannot work for two masters. You want to work for APC and at the same time work for PDP. That is chaos.
Fayose said that by the time it would be time for the 2027 elections, Atiku would either be 80 or 81 years old, and he thinks at that age, he would not be healthy enough to lead a country like Nigeria because of the nature of the job. Are you of the opinion that Fayose is wrong?
I have no right whatsoever to dictate to Atiku Abubakar how he wants to run his political life. That is not my business and if he decides to run, those who don’t like him would not support him. These people who said these things, didn’t they see Prof. Yemi Osinbajo?
Did they not see Bukola Saraki, did they not see Kayode Fayemi and all the youngsters? Why didn’t they support younger people? Like I asked earlier, what has been the impact of these younger people, checking their states? What have they done for the amount of money made available to them?
So, age cannot be an automatic qualification or disqualification in politics. Who would have expected Joe Biden to come after Barack Obama? Who would expect Donald Trump to be contesting against a younger smart lady like Kamala Harris? So, it is up to God and destiny. I’m a child of destiny and that is why I have contentment.
I don’t have to struggle or fight anybody to live my life modestly. But these guys; everything for them is by force and by fire. So, if Atiku decides to run, good luck to him and if he doesn’t want to run, no problem. But the question is: Why are they afraid of him?
Will Atiku Abubakar be a threat to President Bola Tinubu in 2027?
They believe so. I know those who believe that he is the only one right now, who can challenge the President. Atiku will be a threat if he can galvanize a mega-political party. People don’t understand that even if you say the incumbent can rig election, we saw what happened.
And why did we bring President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015? Buhari was brought because they know he was the only one who can unite the North and the rest would be to work across the Niger and Benue, and then bring people together. Right now, everybody is crying in Nigeria. And don’t forget the mood factor in elections.
The mood factor is that if the mood of the nation is overwhelmingly opposed to the leader, there is nothing those in government can do about it.
Today, we have seen that President Goodluck Jonathan was the best president in Nigeria but because of the mood and the belief that he was not performing well, mood factor favoured Buhari who had even given up on running for the presidency.
What would you say is the problem of PDP at the moment; how can it be solved and who do you think can help solve the problem?
Let me tell you, the elders of PDP would have to apply a lot of wisdom as well as a lot of courage. Right now, the people they are dealing with are reckless and they don’t care. I have said it earlier; they don’t care if PDP dies. If they cannot have it, then they will kill it.
They have made up their mind and it is very clear. How will somebody in a party announce to you that in 2027 we are going to support the ruling party and they are still in the same party?
Once upon a time, some people left the PDP when they were aggrieved. If they had destroyed the PDP, would there be a party to return to? They didn’t destroy the party and that was why they were able to return. I always tell people that as an editor there was a time I was removed and promoted and I felt that I was promoted into redundancy.
I resigned the following day. When I told one of my friends, he asked why I resigned and I said it was because I have shame. It is obvious this company no longer needs me and that was why they have promoted me upstairs. If I’m tired of PDP I will resign and go.
What these guys are doing is to frustrate many people out of PDP, so that they can have a free day, which they already have anyway. Now, every little thing, they run to court and I have never seen a place where the court now runs a party and decides everything.
These have gone beyond APC and PDP. A few guys are holding Nigeria to ransom and they are creating chaos everywhere. It is unfortunate. But like I said, I’m a part-time politician and mine is for good governance.
As long as there is good governance in Nigeria, the average Nigerian does not care what our politicians do. They want to be able to feed themselves and their families, go to school and have good health. When I talk about Atiku; that is why I admire him.
He does not control any state. Atiku does not control any thug. Atiku does not control the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Atiku does not threaten anybody with the judiciary. He does not threaten anybody with the police. Only one set of people controls all these forces and we all seem helpless and hopeless. It is unfortunate.