Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has accused Ovation Magazine publisher, Dele Momodu, of backing former Vice President Atiku Abubakar solely for financial reasons.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Wednesday, Olayinka labelled Momodu a “fairweather friend,” claiming his loyalty to Atiku is driven by monetary benefits. He alleged that the publisher would abandon Atiku the moment the financial support stops.
“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.
His comments followed Momodu’s recent allegation that Wike was responsible for Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi’s departure from the Peoples Democratic Party. Olayinka dismissed the claim as unfounded, accusing Momodu of ignorance.
“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.
Olayinka went further to accuse Atiku of being a longstanding divisive force within the PDP. He claimed that the former vice president had consistently undermined the party’s chances since 2003, beginning with the PDP’s failed attempt to capture 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 challenged the narrative that Atiku had sincerely supported the idea of a South-East presidential candidate ahead of the 2023 general elections. According to him, Atiku’s actions contradicted his public stance.
“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 several high-profile PDP members as evidence of dissatisfaction with Atiku’s leadership. He pointed to Senator Gbenga Daniel, who served as the Director General of Atiku’s 2019 presidential campaign, and Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, Atiku’s running mate in the 2023 election, both of whom have since left the party.
“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 also noted that former Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel, who chaired Atiku’s 2023 campaign, and his successor, Governor Umo Eno, have distanced themselves from Atiku and the PDP.
“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.
