Ayodele Olalere
Dele Momodu, a veteran journalist is one of the 15 People Democratic Party, PDP’s presidential aspirants screened and cleared by the party to contest in the 2023 presidential election.
As an aspirant with intimidating qualifications, Momodu is a household name in Nigeria, has made a name for himself in the media industry. His foray into politics has got many tongues wagging with a section of Nigerians, expressing doubt if he has the doggedness to rub shoulders with other top politicians in the murky Nigeria politics.
In this interview, Bob Dee as he is fondly called, examined his chances of securing the topmost post in the country, why he went into politics as well as the chances of his party dislodging the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in the presidential election.
READ ALSO: Dele Momodu: Buhari has divided Nigerians
In 2010, you ran for the presidency or were set to run for the presidency on the platform of the Labour Party, and then you resigned from the Labour Party and joined the National Conscience Party. You secured the ticket of that party, contested the presidential election but lost. In 2015, you campaigned vigorously for the presidential ambition of Muhammadu Buhari, who is the current president. And in 2022, you are back in the race. What do these many transitions say about your presidential ambition?
I came into the race to contest in 2011 because I was tired of complaining. We all complain in Nigeria. In fact, wherever two or three are gathered, they are always talking politics and complaining about all the ills of the society without proffering solutions. I have written about the problems of Nigeria in over three decades. I have proffered solutions but our leaders never listened. So, in 2011, I had to contest on the platform of the Labour Party, but the Labour Party told me very clearly that they were not interested in fielding a presidential candidate, and since what I wanted was presidency, I looked at a party that will be identical in philosophy and ideology to the Labour Party, and I found one in the NCP, which had produced Chief Gani Fawehinmi before my time. Of course, I lost.
The lesson I learned from that was that it is virtually impossible to win a national election without a national party in the spread. You spoke about President Muhammadu Buhari; I was not a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) when I supported him. We felt that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was fumbling and wobbling, so what do we do? And based on that theory that only two national political parties can compete favourably towards winning the presidency, and since PDP was the one that was fumbling, and APC gave us so much hope at that time, we shifted to supporting APC without being a member of APC. I support people on principle. I support individual candidates. In 2015 when Buhari took power and I notice the direction he was going, I saw that, that direction could only lead to perdition. I wrote him memos, and on one occasion, he invited me to Aso Rock. I explained what I meant, my fears; what my hopes and aspirations were. And I gave him everything I wrote about President Goodluck Jonathan, and I said I was going to be doing the same thing to him. He agreed, and asked me to autograph, and I signed and left him.
When I discovered that his case has gone beyond redemption, I washed my hands clean like Pontius Pilate, and I moved on. And I apologised to Nigerians publicly. I am tired of career politicians. My research, investigations and consultations have shown clearly that Nigerians have come to a conclusion that politicians cannot change Nigeria for the better. So, we must begin now to look for a technocrat. I am a technocrat in politics, and I have a job.
Two things have emerged from your response, and one is that you can only pursue an ambition successful on a party that has national spread, and two, your disappointment in the government or in the leader of the government. I have watched you for some time, and I know that you priorities ideology over any other primordial concern in politics. Now, if you are disappointed in the administration, are you also disappointed in your allies with whom you went on exile in the 90s, who remained in the party?
Well, it’s not just about my allies; I believe that wherever you are, your principles must be constant. I am hoping that my people can imbibe that ideology of doing things on principle, and not about expediency… It is not about portfolios. It is about doing the right things for the longsuffering people of Nigeria. These are things politicians are not talking about. What I see are people talking about consensus and zoning. Nobody is talking about the bomb blast of a train. Nobody is talking about the invasion of an airport by bandits. Nobody is talking about soldiers who are being slaughtered…
You no longer share the same principles with the likes of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, with whom you went on exile in the early 90s. The lines of ideology have become blurred as a result of the ease with which you maneuver from one party to another. What do you say to this?
Yes, that’s why I told you that it is a continuum. We must continue to search for that right candidate. We don’t know if my disagreement with Tinubu today is ideological. It may not be. It may be something much more fundamental. So, don’t let’s jump into conclusions. Of course, for me to be in the opposition means I don’t agree with their party. I believe that by now, more youth-friendly people should be coming out. That’s what Nigeria desires. That’s what Nigerians deserve. So, it is nothing personal. Tinubu remains my big brother, my friend. Osinbajo remains my big brother, my friend. But I have fundamental problems with the party where they are right now, and with their dispositions because in the day of tribulations, the people should be able to run to their leaders, and their leaders must be able to come to their defence and protection.
Is your current position borne out of your own selfish presidential ambition?
No, not me. Had Buhari performed in 2015, I would still be his supporter. Had Atiku Abubakar won in 2019, and he performed, I wouldn’t be contesting now. It is nothing personal. It is principle. Are you comfortable with the way Nigeria is today: The answer you will get is a resounding no from 95 per cent of Nigerians except the few, who are taking advantage of the confusion in our political system. I don’t see anybody, who can in good conscience not even a god-fearing man can excuse what is happening in Nigeria today. I believe Nigeria is worse than it was in 1999, not even a few years back. A Nigeria that produced the Awolowos, the Azikiwes, the Tafawa Balewas, the Sardaunas of Sokoto, the same Nigeria is now just producing politicians like popcorn. It’s unfortunate.
You recently submitted your expression of interest and nomination forms after which you criticised the monetisation of the process, saying that it was a policy of exclusion that did not allow talented Nigerians to find expression in the political process. How do you hope to change what you endorse by your own action?
Well, the first thing you must follow in life is the procedure. There is a process, and there is what I call preparation. I have prepared for this journey; that was why you didn’t see me in 2015 and 2019. I was hoping a miracle would happen and things would change, then I wouldn’t have to leave my comfort zone to come and face what I am now going through. And then, when I joined the party, based on the realisation that you can only win a presidential election on a national platform, I knew I must obey and conform to party rules and regulations. I obeyed first before I complained that 40 million is too much for young people, who might want to come into governance. I made sure I obeyed before I complained because if it was not given to me, I would have no basis to contest in the first instance. I would have automatically disqualified myself. But what must be constant is truth; we must continue to speak truth to power; we must speak truth to ourselves; we must speak truth to our own political party. An average politician will not do that.
In relation to the monetisation of the purchase of the forms, we should also talk about how politicians are going about boasting on how they are going give delegates dollars and all of that. That in itself is a threat; are you living in the fear, as that is the first leg in getting the ticket?
Anyone who knows me knows that I hand over all projects to God. I believe fervently that only God can give you power in the country of 200 million people. And I am also reassured by history, contemporary history of Nigeria that no billionaire has ever succeeded in hijacking the election in Nigeria. The only millionaire, who won election, is MKO Abiola, and he did it on merit, not because he had money. He was loved because he had been generous to everybody all over Nigeria. But most of the people I see today are not in that league of MKO Abiola. When you see a serving public officer, who has access to billions, displaying openly that nobody can beat me, then Nigerians should be worried. I am not afraid because I have won election before against those who had much more money than I. My last election in 2011, on the night of our primaries, I sent two copies of Ovation to each room of the delegates. That was all I had; silver or gold, I had none.
But then that was a party that had no national spread, and which is the requisite capacity required to win an election?
No…but despite that, they had human beings from all over Nigeria. Everything starts small. I am practical. I am not going to tame the PDP delegates. If people bring their money back to you, take it, but vote for the best candidate. If you vote wrong, you will suffer, you will lament, you will complain, you will grumble, you will groan, you will moan for the next four to eight years. I’m going to be talking to the delegates just as people are asking me when I am going to talk to the delegates, but not yet. I still have over a month to go. Some say when are you meeting with the BoT, I said don’t worry, I have my strategies. I will use what I have to get what I want. The first thing is to show my capacity in the public domain. There is nobody in PDP today; whether you have been vice president, senate president, or governor who is more popular than Dele Momodu. I am on the street; they are not on the street. The places I go, they can’t go. I went to Maiduguri Market.
Isn’t that wishful thinking? Are you riding on ideals or the God factor? When last was a primary election won either without consensus or without the money factor in the country?
I have just given you an example that those who were in NCP were Nigerians. I have faith in Nigeria. I have not given up hope on Nigerians. I don’t believe that all Nigerians are buyable, and I have another thesis to give you. And that is even if you succeed in buying all the delegates, you cannot succeed in buying all Nigerians in the general elections.
Before your declaration, you had begun to identify with certain high profile members of your current party. Persons, who could be easily identified as political heavyweights. Are you fronting for any of the political heavyweights within the PDP?
I am too old; I am too principled to the front for anybody. In fact, it is the biggest insult anybody can give me in life to think I went into a race I wasn’t prepared for. Fronting for who? For what? If I needed any appointment in life, I would have had it in my 30s, 40s, and 50s. I am not fronting for anybody, but you must know that a political party is a platform of saints and sinners if there are saints. If you become president, you will govern over sinners and saints. How you manage people and resources will determine your success or your failure.
Are you trying to get a foot in the door to eventually settle for a senatorial position or appointment?
A Dele Momodu? In fact, I always say it that anybody that contests the presidency and returns to contest for the senate or governorship means that he didn’t think well before he decided to go for presidential race. I have principle. I have a sense of shame. Some people don’t have shame; anything you give them, they take. One, I am not fronting for anybody. Two, I am not looking for position. Three, I am going to contest all the way. That is the whole idea, and I am fully prepared for it; it is not a joke. Nobody pays N40 million for a joke. Do you know how much it cost to run a presidential campaign on a daily basis?
And that is the point really. If it took you years to prepare, and get the N40 million, why didn’t you just prepare all the way so you could also to take care of the delegates, which is more realistic than riding on strategy that which won’t appeal to the delegates?
Let me tell you something today. There is nothing you can say that would tempt me into bribing delegates, even if I have billions today; I will not bribe them. I will not promote corruption. If I say I want a change in my country, then the change must begin with me. There are treasures you must never cross in life. I am not desperate. I have told you I am not looking for a job. Some people will say why don’t you go and become a governor. I say me? No? I want executive power at the federal level because I know that can instantly change Nigeria for the better. The day you have people, who have managed their own resources successfully – if I ask you today to name 18 out of 36 governors in Nigeria, even as a journalist, you might not remember. If I asked you what they did for a living before they become governor, I can bet my life, you would not know. So, how can you now come to me and say they are better. I am going to sell my accomplishments; I am going to sell my reputation; I am going to sell my global brand to the delegates, and if they accept…oh!
And if they did not, which is our last point because we leave your plans of losing or winning. What are your plans if the delegates don’t buy your capacity?
I am not God. At that point, you leave to God and to man. If they don’t, nobody should say in the future that Dele did not do it the right way. I want to be able to look at my children and say your dad didn’t chicken out. I am not a chicken so you are not going to roast me like a chicken,
Aspirants in your party have been appearing in groups. Some are advocating that the party go the way of consensus, while some are vigorously urging the party to go by way of its tradition, which is zoning. Which of these groups do you belong to?
For me, I am a fresh candidate. I paid for a form to contest for an election and I am concentrating all my attention. If they do zoning, if they say it’s consensus…I don’t see consensus in our constitution. I see zoning in our constitution. Those who say consensus, I believe with due respect to them, it is their right, but sometimes, I find it a bit uncomfortable. If you believe in consensus, why did you buy the form? So, the four people going together (Bukola Saraki, Hayatu-Deen, Aminu Tambuwal, Bala Mohammed) so, why didn’t they start the consensus from their bedroom. He, who must ask for equity must come with clean hands. Even in law, they say a man cannot be the judge in his own cause. Why are you the one recommending consensus when you are already a participant? So, if you really believe in consensus, I expect Saraki to pull out as well as the other people, but you are already a participant; an aspirant.
So, do you agree that your party did not think things through?
That is not my party; it is some people in my party that took it upon themselves.
Didn’t your party anticipate that some members will advocate for consensus?
No, that is not the business of the party. The business of the party is to organise a level-playing field for everybody. That they have done, and they didn’t ask anybody not to buy form. Those who want consensus bought forms voluntarily. Zoning is the only place where you can talk about the party. And I raised a voice; I speak all the time. When I bought my form, I said why are you talking zoning, why didn’t you take a decision on zoning before selling the form, so that that way, those who had been zoned out will not waste their time and resources buying the form. I spoke up. I don’t know about any other person who has said that. But the Saraki group (he speaks for them all the time); I am worried about our democracy. Democracy is a game of fair contest. The moment you want to go through the back door to smuggle in a particular candidate of interest, I think that’s dangerous to our democracy. Before I believe they are serious about consensus, let them all pull out. You cannot each individually buy form and still be talking about consensus. However, zoning is not okay when you have asked everybody to buy their forms
So, you will profit from the zoning if they zone it to the South?
What if they zone it to the North? Who says they can’t zone it to the North?
But how many groups within your party are advocating for zoning to the North?
I am happy that we have more southerners in the race because that would further put pressure on my party to look southwards. But don’t forget that you also have some powerful forces from the North, who desperately want it in the North though I would want it to come to the South.
Because it would favour you?
No, that is why I’m different. I will go for the election whether it is zoned to the South or thrown open. I’m ready. You cannot say I am flip-flopping; it is a national platform. Today, I am the most favoured in the South because I control two zones by parentage; my father is from South-south and my mother is from the South-west. I know because anybody, who wants to run the country must have the capacity to unite the country. Let’s just go into our election; if you want to support me, support me incognito, and let’s move on.