Publisher of Ovation Magazine, Chief Dele Momodu, has defended Atiku Abubakar’s right to contest the 2027 presidential election.
He noted that no amount of political pressure or coordinated campaign can force the former vice president out of the race.
Momodu said this while speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Tuesday.
He dismissed growing calls for Atiku to step aside for Peter Obi or support a possible Obi-Rabiu Kwankwaso alliance, arguing that elections are not won through emotions, regional sentiments, or social media popularity.
He argued that many Nigerians wrongly assume that combining Peter Obi and Kwankwaso on one ticket would automatically guarantee victory in 2027, but politics requires numbers, strategy, and structure—not internet excitement.
“Elections don’t run on emotion. It’s a shame that people don’t read. We just go on the internet and shout: ‘Once we have Obi and Kwankwaso, it is over.’ Nothing is over,” he said.
Momodu described the pressure on Atiku to withdraw from the race as a deliberate and well-organized political campaign, stressing that the former PDP presidential candidate understands the political structure he has built over the years and has every constitutional right to remain in the contest.
“This campaign against Atiku is well-coordinated. He’s not a foolish old man; he knows that what he has built delicately, meticulously, and tenaciously, he will see it to the end. That is his business. You cannot bully him out of a contest,” he stated.
He added that unless Atiku acts against the Nigerian Constitution, there is no valid reason to demand that he should step aside.
While questioning why Atiku is constantly being asked to step down for Obi, Momodu recalled that Atiku had already selected Obi as his running mate in the 2019 presidential election, yet the ticket still failed to secure victory.
“Why can’t Obi be his Vice President? He brought Obi as VP running mate in 2019; they did not win. So, why the hurry that it must be only Obi?” he asked.
Momodu also warned against treating Obi as Nigeria’s only political saviour, saying the country has many competent leaders and no single politician should be elevated above all others.
He described suggestions that Atiku should abandon his ambition for Obi as disrespectful, insisting that support for any candidate remains a personal political choice.
“I will support my Atiku. You are disrespecting people by even suggesting that he should step down for Obi; it’s an insult,” he stressed.
