Dele Momodu Wants to Be Atiku’s Running Mate for 2027 Elections

Veteran journalist and former presidential hopeful, Dele Momodu, has asked the leaders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to choose him as the running mate for the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the 2027 elections.

Momodu said a ticket with Atiku from the North and himself from the South would create a strong base to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). He urged the party to move away from old ways of politics.

He made this appeal in a statement on his social media on Monday. He included an infographic showing how the ADC could win the presidential election if he is picked as the vice-presidential candidate.

In the infographic, which shows his picture alongside Atiku’s on a map of Nigeria, Momodu wrote, “The ATTRACTION OF ATIKU ABUBAKAR/DELE MOMODU TICKET.” He wants to emphasize the benefits of running with the former vice president.

He listed his qualities under the slogan, “THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR A GREATER NIGERIA,” “VOTE ADC.” His qualities include “No Political baggage,” “Global brand,” “Youth-friendly,” “Media Icon Creator,” “Edo/Osun parentage,” “Well Educated,” “Affable,” “Reasonable,” “Detrabilised,” and “Benevolent.”

Momodu, who is 66 years old, ran for president on the National Conscience Party (NCP) ticket in 2011 but did not win. In 2023, he showed interest in the presidential race on the PDP platform but later withdrew.

Although he was born in Ile-Ife, Osun State, his father, Jacob Momodu, is from Ihevbe in Edo State, and his mother is from Osun State.

Atiku became the ADC’s presidential candidate in May after defeating former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and businessman Mohammed Hayatu-Deen in the party's primary. Both Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen rejected the results before they were finalized.

After winning the party's ticket, Atiku visited Amaechi at his house in Abuja and Hayatu-Deen at his home in Lagos. This was likely to reconcile and discuss politics ahead of the election.

Since that meeting, Amaechi has not publicly complained about the primary results, leading to rumors that Atiku may choose him as his running mate.

Another aspirant, Babachir Lawal, who was a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, has had conflicts with Atiku since the primary. Lawal quit the ADC last Monday, accusing the party of manipulating the primaries for Atiku.

With the internal issues, Atiku has not revealed who he will choose as his running mate. This is different from Peter Obi of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), who quickly picked former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso as his running mate after becoming the party’s candidate.

There are also rumors that Atiku has reached out to two current governors, Alex Otti of Abia State and Charles Soludo of Anambra State, to consider one of them as his running mate.

Otti is a first-term governor in the Labour Party (LP), while Soludo is in his second term and belongs to the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).

In his statement, Momodu predicted that the 2027 election would mainly be between Atiku and President Bola Tinubu, who is looking to be re-elected.

He recognized that a third-force candidate might appear, like in the 2023 election, but insisted that ADC must adopt a different strategy from traditional politics.

Momodu stressed that no other ticket would be better positioned to take on the ruling party than an Atiku-Momodu ticket.

“The 2027 Presidential election is expected to be a major fight between PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU and his biggest challenger, ALHAJI ATIKU ABUBAKAR. It promises to be the battle of the Titans.

“A third force may show up, as it did in 2023, but not with enough strength to upstage the two elder statesmen. This is why our party, ADC, must change the way we do politics. We need to connect the old with the new, the conservative with the modern, and experienced politicians with new leaders. There’s no better duo than this, which ensures a colorful blend. The North and the South will come together amidst ethnic and religious tensions,” he said.

Momodu also warned that the party could stagnate if it does not solve its internal problems. He called on leaders to focus on politics based on ideas and ideology.

“We cannot allow the current tensions and chaos to continue. It will destroy us all. It’s time to go back to politics driven by ideas, like our founding fathers, such as Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, the Sardauna Sir Ahmadu Bello, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, and others, who did their best.

“Today, we have completely lost track of the legacies they left us. The politics of violence has become too much in our nation. We need a strong bridge between the North and the South before it is too late.”