Dele Momodu Says Tinubu Cannot Be Trusted to Run Fair 2027 Election

Dele Momodu, a senior figure in the African Democratic Congress, has launched a sharp critique of President Bola Tinubu's fitness to oversee the 2027 presidential election. Speaking on Arise Television's Prime Time programme, Momodu stated that even Tinubu's own political allies harbour doubts about his commitment to conducting a transparent poll.

The veteran journalist argued that widespread suspicion exists that Tinubu would refuse to hand over power if he loses the contest. Momodu went further in his assessment, suggesting that if Tinubu loses the 2027 election but declines to step down, political opponents and citizens would forcibly remove him from office.

He also claimed that governors allied with Tinubu's political camp share similar misgivings about the President's willingness to respect electoral outcomes. The comments underscore deepening tensions within Nigeria's political establishment as the 2027 race takes shape.

The ADC chieftain also predicted electoral setbacks for Tinubu in key regions, forecasting that Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, will prevail in the Southeast and parts of the South-South. Momodu attributed Tinubu's potential weakness in northern Nigeria to waning support from former President Muhammadu Buhari, who had backed him during the 2023 election but whose public endorsement has since cooled.

In his harshest remarks, Momodu compared Tinubu's governance to the military dictatorship of Sani Abacha, accusing the President of wielding authoritarian control over state institutions. He claimed Tinubu has consolidated power across the executive, legislative and judicial branches, contending that his methods surpass in severity those employed during Abacha's notorious regime in the 1990s.

Momodu characterised the administration's approach as coercive and oppressive.