Dele Momodu says APC in “obvious panic”, warns against “one-man rule”

Former presidential aspirant and publisher, Dele Momodu, has said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is showing signs of “obvious panic” despite President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s efforts to rally governors, ministers and lawmakers.

Momodu, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), made the remarks on Tuesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

According to him, the growing alignment of opposition figures ahead of the 2027 general elections has unsettled the ruling party.

“They (APC) cannot believe that we will have maybe four or five major opposition leaders in the country, and some people will go and put fire in their houses so that none of them will be strong enough to stand against the leader.

“It is reality; let’s not hide behind one finger. I keep saying it, Tinubu, today, despite gathering all the governors, ministers, legislators, and what have you, you can see the obvious panic in the party,” he said.

The former PDP chieftain also criticised what he described as a culture of silence within the APC, alleging that many members are unable to openly express dissent.

“Wherever dictatorship thrives, everybody keeps quiet. The majority of my friends are in APC; I pity them. Sometimes they just look like slaves; they grumble behind the master, but they dare not speak up,” he said.

Momodu further accused the ruling party of “gatekeeping institutions”, alleging interference in political processes such as party activities and court proceedings.

“It’s insane,” he said, accusing the APC of “blocking venues (for conventions), blocking courts.”

Despite these alleged challenges, he argued that such actions were inadvertently boosting the visibility and appeal of the ADC.

He also alleged that President Tinubu was attempting to extend a Lagos-style political structure to the national level.

“Tinubu did it in Lagos; that system has survived for 27 years. He now wants to elevate it to the national level, and, of course, Nigeria is too big for the voluminous ambition of one man,” he said.

Momodu warned against what he described as a drift towards “one-man rule”.

“We must rescue Nigeria from one-man rule… nobody can talk. If the president today says, ‘I want to borrow one trillion dollars,’ they will approve it in less than five minutes,” he said.

On the opposition landscape ahead of 2027, Momodu expressed support for a possible alliance between former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi on the ADC platform.

He also dismissed concerns about internal divisions within the ADC, insisting the party remains united despite the presence of several high-profile politicians.

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