Politics
Momodu Advises Nigerians Against Money-Bag Aspirants
Veteran journalist and publisher, Dele Momodu, has advised Nigerians, particularly the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to reject money-bag aspirants vying for President in the 2023 general elections.
Momodu stated this at the party’s national secretariat, Abuja, shortly after obtaining the expression of interest and nomination forms for the Office of the President in the 2023 elections.
Accompanied by friends and associates, to the party’s headquarters, Momodu thanked Nigerians of all walks of life, particularly those who in his words contributed various sums of money to raise a total of N40 million to purchase the nomination forms.
He said: “I want to thank all the kind-hearted Nigerians who contributed every kobo raised so far for this laudable project. I am particularly grateful to the young Nigerians who donated from N500 to N20,000 after my appeal on social media. I am deeply touched by their act of uncommon generosity, especially because I know of their tough financial situations. It is gratifying and humbling for me that from the very little that they possess, Nigeria comes first. God will bless them.
“I am proud to stand resolutely to challenge those who feel Nigeria and Nigerians can be bought or bribed by the highest bidder. The time for the rejection of such a notion is now. Nigerians will no longer sell their soul for 20 pieces of silver, and I make bold to say that they are prepared to make this statement and are relying on the political parties for the opportunity to demonstrate that this is the case, by giving to them worthy candidates rather than a recycling of the failed so-called political juggernauts.
“I wish to appeal to all men and women of good conscience to join me in this movement to put a stop to the rascality of those who feel Nigerians are permanently helpless and hopeless and that we can be lorded upon simply because we have chosen to be silent. We will no longer acquiesce in this state of affairs. I modestly say that through our collective efforts, the silent and voiceless majority now have a voice and representative in me.
Momodu stressed the importance of settling for a President who will see the entire country as his constituency, saying, “like many Nigerians, I am vehemently opposed to ethnic jingoists who see where they come from as the only prerequisite qualification for aspiring to lead Nigeria, no matter how ugly and inglorious their past had been.
“I humbly come into this political contest with a pedigree of integrity, reputation, solid education, tolerance, business acumen, sharp vision, and competence. I possess everything it takes to win the 2023 Presidential election on behalf of my party, PDP, and I will be greatly honoured to get the ticket and support of my esteemed party for this purpose.”
He continued: “The time has come for my party, PDP to take advantage of this unique opportunity to present an uncommon candidate who is tailor-made for this moment and purpose. I am fresh and free from the usual encumbrances associated with most of our career politicians.
“Despite not being in government or power, my business and I have been one of the biggest brands out of Africa in the last three decades. I have the capacity to reunite Nigeria instantly. I am instantly recognized and warmly welcomed and received wherever I go by the generality of our people whether elites, middle class or the common man.
“Without being immodest or boastful, I am glad to profess that I have verifiably touched lives in every part of Nigeria. The youths of Nigeria and Africa see me as their role model. I have created enduring opportunities for them and used my talents and material resources to reproduce multiple millionaires in farming, fashion, music, comedy, media, events, hospitality, and entrepreneurship.
“I have personally given succour and palliatives to thousands of Nigerians in all parts of Nigeria without any discrimination whatsoever. Without access to government money or constituency allowances, I have touched more Nigerians globally than our career politicians. I have given scholarships to hundreds of indigent students at home and abroad.”
Not unaware of the role money plays in partisan politics in this part, the Momodu said a strategy that would see him coast home to victory was at hand, provided a level playing field was provided for all aspirants.
“You may be wondering how I intend to defeat the billionaire and powerful politicians in the two mainstream political parties with the reckless naira and dollar rain with which they are already flooding everywhere. I place my faith in God Almighty and in the long-suffering people of Nigeria as well as in my unblemished record of excellence, integrity, youthfulness, mental capacity, tolerance, courage, wisdom and global experience and exposure.
“It would be difficult to find anyone with more intimidating credentials amongst the members of the current political class.
“I expect our party, PDP, to hearken to the cries of Nigerians for a new type of leadership and not a rehash and regurgitation of the same monied class or cabals who have nothing but calamitous corruption, monumental misery and unprecedented disaster to offer our unfortunate citizens.
“The world has already left us way behind as a result of our addiction to narcoleptic leadership and the inability to exorcise the demons of democracy. We can rid ourselves of the manacles and shackles of the depressive state and oppressive nature created by much vaunted purported political demigods and warlords.
“By so doing, we will free ourselves from our current dire predicament and make brisk progress in nation building which is what all well-meaning Nigerians desire and deserve, desperately,” he stressed.
Momodu called on PDP leadership to throw the Presidential race open, given that aspirants from both the North and South had indicated interest in the office.
“On the issue of zoning or no zoning, I believe that allowing all aspirants to buy their forms at N40 million suggests that the race is open to all, regardless of what part of Nigeria they come from.
“It is practically and legally impossible for a political party to disqualify an aspirant on account of zoning after collecting a whopping N40 million for services not rendered. I am therefore happy to join this race and I am expecting a level playing ground for all aspirants as repeatedly promised by our respectable and cerebral national chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu,” he added.
He further dismissed insinuations in some quarters that a Southern Presidential candidate cannot win the election for the PDP, describing such as “absolute distortion of facts of history and mathematics.”
Politics
Reps Constitution Review Committee Holds Zonal Hearing For Rivers, C’River, Akwa Ibom In Calabar
A press statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Cross River State Governor, Mr Linus Obogo, disclosed that the Calabar Centre — designated as Centre B — will host representatives and stakeholders from Cross River, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom States.
The public hearing is scheduled to take place on Saturday, July 19, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at the Transcorp (Metropolitan) Hotel, Calabar.
The initiative, according to the statement, is designed to promote inclusive dialogue and capture the aspirations of Nigerians from all regions.
It aims to serve as a platform for citizens to contribute meaningfully to the ongoing national efforts to refine and strengthen the country’s legal and institutional frameworks.
“Citizens, civil society groups, professional bodies, traditional rulers, and other interest blocs are invited to participate in this landmark engagement aimed at advancing a more just, equitable, and responsive Nigerian Constitution,” the statement read.
The hearing forms part of the broader review process of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), and is seen as a strategic move toward fostering national unity and addressing structural legal issues within the federation.
For the first time since 2022, when then-presidential aspirant Alhaji Bola Tinubu declared he made former President Buhari Nigeria’s President in 2015, Mr Mustapha dismissed the claims, stressing that the merger only contributed about three million votes in addition to Buhari’s existing 12 million votes in the North.
He insisted that former President Buhari’s integrity, national stature, and disciplined messaging were central to the breakthrough, not the three million votes from the merging parties, which he described as insignificant.
Speaking on the role of the merging parties, particularly President Tinubu, the leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mr Mustapha, who was the keynote speaker at the launch of the book ‘According to the President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesman’s Experience’ authored by Mallam Garba Shehu, described the impact of the votes from other merging parties as very insignificant.
In attendance were former Head of State Yakubu Gowon, chair of the event; immediate past Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; SGF George Akume, who represented President Tinubu; PDP’s 2023 presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar; former Chief of Staff to Buhari Ibrahim Gambari; elder statesman Babagana Kingibe; former governors Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Chris Ngige (Anambra), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Raji Babatunde Fashola (Lagos); former ministers Solomon Dalung and Sunday Dare; former Army Chief Tukur Buratai, and Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu’s spokesman, among others.
According to Mr Mustapha, “I do not intend to stir up any controversy. The merger in 2013 was midwifed to create a Buhari presidency. Let us look at the statistics. In the 2003 election, it was the Obasanjo-Buhari presidential contest where Buhari recorded 12.7 million votes. In 2007, it came to 6.6 million, and it went back to 12.2 million in 2011.
“When we were conceptualising the merger, what would give us a headstart? Obviously, it was at the back of our consciousness that the merger with the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), though it had only one state, the ACN had six states, ANPP three states, and when you sum up the total votes that we had as the presidency in 2015, the aggregate of the total votes was 15.4 million.
“So, basically, what we brought to the table after the merger outside the Buhari 12.5 million votes was three million. Before turning to that presidency, it is important to recognise the former President’s role in reshaping Nigeria’s political trajectory.
“In early 2013, as the leader of the CPC, Buhari formally requested and supported the creation of a CPC merger committee, part of a broader coalition-building process that brought together the ACN, ANPP, APGA faction, and elements of the ruling party through the breakaway ‘new PDP’ group. His endorsement and participation, along with other party leaders such as President Tinubu and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, lent credibility and direction to the merger, helping to unify disparate party factions under the banner of the APC. That coalition-building paved the way for the first democratic defeat of an incumbent ruling party in Nigeria’s history.
“President Buhari’s integrity, national stature, and disciplined messaging were central to that breakthrough. No account of President Buhari’s tenure would be complete without acknowledging the extended periods he spent on medical leave. These moments, while politically delicate, were also telling of his leadership philosophy and personality,” he said.
In his remarks, President Tinubu promised to build on the legacies of former President Buhari, stressing that “nation-building is a relay. The efforts of one administration lay the foundation for the next.
“In this regard, I acknowledge the efforts of my predecessor, President Buhari, and assure all Nigerians that the reform-oriented path he initiated will be consolidated and strengthened under this administration. Our Renewed Hope Agenda is inspired by the desire to build a resilient, just, and inclusive Nigeria—a nation that delivers dividends of democracy to all its citizens”.
Speaking during an appearance on live television on Wednesday, Mr Omokri alleged that Mr Obi’s statements were misleading and damaging to the country’s economic prospects.
Mr Omokri said some investors currently operating in Nigeria were considering exiting the market due to Mr Obi’s remarks.
“That is not true. He doesn’t rile me up. I rile him up. The reason why I came here is because I’m a patriot. Peter Obi lied. You know, foreign direct investors are watching your programme, who are making investment decisions not to come to Nigeria. There are foreign investors in Nigeria that are making investment decisions to leave Nigeria because of the lie he told.
“One of the lies he told is that President Tinubu has borrowed more than the administrations of Yar’Adua, Jonathan, Buhari. That is a blatant lie”, Mr Omokri said.
To buttress his claims, Mr Omokri referenced figures from the Debt Management Office (DMO), maintaining that President Tinubu had actually reduced Nigeria’s external debt burden since assuming office.
“I have here with me data from the Debt Management Office, and Nigerians who are watching can go to DMO.com and search Debt Management Office, Nigeria State of Indebtedness 2015.
“As of 2015, Nigeria was owing a total of $63 billion. When Buhari was leaving office, Nigeria was owing $113 billion. Today, from the DMO, our debt has gone from $113 billion to $97 billion, meaning that Tinubu has reduced our debt by over $14 billion.
“We should be appreciating this man. Yet Peter Obi came here and lied to the Nigerian people. He took the debts and translated them into naira to make it look like the debts have increased”, he said.