Veteran journalist and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dele Momodu, has said that only a northern candidate can unseat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking in an interview on Arise News on Wednesday, Momodu argued that no southern politician stands the chance of defeating Tinubu, who is widely expected to seek a second term.
“I have a theory. And the theory is simple,” he said. “That Tinubu can only be countered this time by a northerner. Any southerner telling you, ‘I want to contest against Tinubu’, is going to waste his time.”
Momodu noted that President Tinubu has shown strong interest in retaining power, and that many political figures in the South appear to be backing him for another term.
“Tinubu doesn’t want to leave the position. He wants a second time. Southerners are saying, ‘We want him there,’” he said.
However, he warned that presenting Tinubu’s re-election as a “southern project” could create a sense of exclusion and provoke resistance from other regions, particularly the North.
“We made that mistake during June 12. When we turned the national mandate of Abiola into a Yoruba mandate. It is the same error of judgment I see Tinubu’s people committing right now,” he warned.
The PDP chieftain also spoke on growing dissatisfaction in the North over Tinubu’s style of governance and appointments, claiming that the region feels alienated from his administration.
“Most of them [Tinubu’s appointees] are cronies who have crept into our politics. The North is naturally aggrieved. They thought they supported you, but the moment Buhari left, they started attacking him.
“When I look at the configuration of Tinubu’s cabinet today… people say he’s appointing Yoruba people because he’s a Yoruba man. But it’s not even about Yoruba, it’s about his own personal cronies,” he added.
Momodu said that both internal politics within the ruling APC and opposition strategies would define the road to 2027.
He stated that the PDP or any opposition alliance would likely rally behind a northern candidate to challenge Tinubu.
“The PDP or coalition or whatever you call them also want power. And the only way they can get power is to go by Isaac Newton’s theory: actions and reactions are always equal and opposite. So they will come from the opposite direction.”
While expressing admiration for Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, Momodu dismissed the idea that he—or any Yoruba candidate—could unseat Tinubu.
“I hear some Yoruba person who says he wants to contest. He’s a guy I like, Governor Seyi Makinde, but I know that at the end of the day, that cannot happen,” he said.
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