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By Myke Agunwa
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike has accused Ovation Magazine publisher, Dele Momodu, of defending former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar for financial benefits..
Recall that Momodu had accused Wike of being the brain behind the crisis in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) including the fragmentation of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) and exit of critical stakeholders.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, Wike described Momodu as a “fairweather friend” who is only loyal to Atiku because of financial benefits, alleging that the media entrepreneur would quickly abandon the former vice president if the monetary flow ceased.
“We are hearing all this noise from him because Atiku is paying his bills. Let Atiku stop paying, Oga Dele Momodu will move to the next victim,” Olayinka said.
Reacting to Momodu’s recent claim that Wike was responsible for Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi’s exit from the PDP, Olayinka dismissed the assertion, calling it baseless.
“Only someone like Dele Momodu, who does not have knowledge of anything apart from his stomach, would claim that it was Wike that drove Peter Obi out of the PDP,” he said.
He alleged that the former vice president sabotaged the party’s efforts since 2003, including its unsuccessful bid to win Lagos State.
“Atiku has been the weapon fashioned against the PDP since he frustrated the party’s efforts to win Lagos State in 2003,” he said.
He also questioned Atiku’s sincerity regarding his call for a South-East presidential candidate ahead of the 2023 elections, noting that Atiku had obtained the PDP’s presidential Expression of Interest form before the zoning committee concluded its work.
“Dele Momodu claimed Atiku wanted the PDP to field a candidate from the South-East, but conveniently ignored the fact that Atiku had already declared his interest,” he said.
Olayinka cited the exit of key PDP stakeholders including former campaign DG Senator Gbenga Daniel and Atiku’s 2023 running mate Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa as evidence of internal dissatisfaction with Atiku’s leadership.
“Was it Wike that made Senator Gbenga Daniel, who was the Director General of Atiku’s 2019 campaign, leave PDP barely two weeks after the election? Was it Wike that made Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa leave the PDP?” he queried.
He added that former Akwa Ibom Governor, Udom Emmanuel, who chaired Atiku’s 2023 campaign, and his successor Governor Umo Eno, were also distancing themselves from the party.
“The question is, why did everyone who worked closely with Atiku during the 2019 and 2023 elections leave him afterwards? The reason can only be because someone is a selfish person who is only about himself alone,” he added.
Efforts to reach Atiku’s spokesperson, Paul Ibe, and Dele Momodu for comments were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.