Publisher and former presidential candidate Dele Momodu has declared that he would go to extraordinary lengths to support President Bola Tinubu, provided the administration adheres strictly to the democratic ideals both men championed during Nigeria’s pro-democracy struggles in the 1990s.
Speaking during an appearance on Arise TV on Thursday, Momodu expressed concern over the political trajectory of the country, warning against replacing past military rule with a civilian equivalent.
“I will ordinarily swim to the depth of the Atlantic Ocean for Tinubu if he was practising what we fought against when we were fighting the military,” Momodu stated. “I would be a bloody hypocrite if after we claimed to have changed the way of military dictatorship, we now replace it with civilian dictatorship. That’s my only problem with him.”
The relationship between both figures spans over three decades, tracing back to the campaign for the actualisation of Chief Moshood Abiola’s annulled 12 June 1993 presidential mandate. Following the military takeover by General Sani Abacha, both Tinubu, then a leading member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), and Momodu faced state persecution and were forced into exile in the United Kingdom, having previously been detained or forced across borders.
Despite public disagreements since Tinubu assumed office in 2023, Momodu clarified that his criticisms were political rather than personal, acknowledging the President’s role in shaping his political perspective.
“When they are abusing him, you won’t see me abusing him,” Momodu noted, adding that Tinubu was among those who taught him to challenge the establishment. “That was the record he carried from Lagos as a local champion to a national champion.”
Momodu, who previously contested the presidency under the National Conscience Party in 2011 and has since aligned with the African Democratic Congress ahead of the 2027 general election, maintained that while he remains a vocal critic of the administration’s economic and political policies, he continues to acknowledge the President’s past support and influence on his career.