Publisher and politician, Bashorun Dele Momodu has slammed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over its decision to zone the 2027 presidential ticket to the South, describing the move as a betrayal of opposition politics and a boost to President Bola Tinubu’s re-election prospects.
In a statement on Tuesday, Momodu accused the PDP of succumbing to internal sabotage and external pressure from loyalists of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“Yesterday, one of Africa’s biggest, but seriously embattled, political parties shot itself in the leg by choosing to hide behind one finger. The PDP finally succumbed to the cheap and puerile blackmail of the black sheep in the opposition party who are openly and daringly working for the ruling party,” he wrote.
Momodu directly linked the zoning arrangement to former Rivers State governor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, alleging that it was part of a broader scheme to guarantee Tinubu’s 2027 re-election.
“Who did not know that ultimately the hand was that of Wike while the voice was that of Tinubu. Their gameplan is not hidden. Wike keeps belching orders at helpless governors who are too jittery to stand firm against daredevil dictatorship,” he said.
The media mogul further accused the PDP of abandoning its loyal members in Rivers State, including Governor Siminalayi Fubara, during ongoing political crises.
He recalled that Wike had opposed zoning in 2022 and even lobbied for the vice-presidential slot under a northern candidate, only to now insist on power shifting to the South.
Mocking the decision, Momodu declared, “The geniuses should be courageous enough to admit that Tinubu will be the joint candidate of APC and PDP in 2027. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. Give it to Wike, love him or loathe him, you will always know where he stands, no matter how preposterous and ludicrous. No Jupiter will stop Wike from using PDP structures for Tinubu. That’s already a done deal.”
He also dismissed suggestions that the zoning decision could pave the way for southern candidates like former President Goodluck Jonathan, Labour Party’s Peter Obi, or Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, describing such speculation as “blatant lies from the pit of hell.”
Momodu questioned the party’s justification for zoning, citing past precedents where zoning principles were disregarded.
“Where were these guys when President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua died and no one fought for his replacement from the North after Jonathan completed their first term? In fact, Jonathan would have spent nine years as President but for his defeat by Buhari in 2015. Where were they when Tinubu ran on a Muslim/Muslim ticket? The questions can continue ad infinitum,” he stated.
Concluding, he warned against selective application of political principles, adding, “The truth must not be selective.”
