Publisher Dele Momodu has accused the ruling party of stifling the opposition, claiming that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is uneasy about the 2027 general election.
Speaking on Friday, Momodu, a member of the opposition coalition African Democratic Congress (ADC), accused the APC of trying to create division within opposition parties.
“It’s obvious that the ruling party is jittery. The ruling party does not want any strong competition in 2027 in particular,” Momodu said on a breakfast show. “They are not too bothered by the governors and the rest of them. But they want a sole candidate, if possible. All political parties would rise up and endorse one man, and that is the President and Commander-in-Chief.”
His comments came a day after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officially recognized the ADC’s national working committee led by former Senate President David Mark, with former Osun governor Rauf Aregbesola as secretary.
The decision has sparked a debate among politicians, with some ADC members threatening to go to court over the matter.
However, Momodu said he was not surprised that some people, including former ADC presidential candidate Dumebi Kachikwu, have challenged the move.
“So I was not surprised yesterday when the news broke again that these guys are on their way to court. We all know what is going on,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with anybody going to court if you’re aggrieved. Well, fortunately, they should have known that the conveners of ADC worked extremely hard behind the scenes to arrive at where we are now.”
Momodu added, “They took their time. They knew the government agents would attempt to thwart their efforts, like they have done in Labour, like they are doing in PDP, and they’re doing in NNPP — creating factions everywhere.”