By Opeyemi Adelakun
Dele Momodu, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, has described Saturday’s Osun State governorship election as a direct political contest between Governor Ademola Adeleke and President Bola Tinubu.
Momodu, who is a member of the ADC but has publicly endorsed Adeleke, said his position was informed by his belief in opposition unity and his longstanding relationship with the governor.
He spoke on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
The publisher of Ovation International said he joined the ADC because of its commitment to bringing opposition parties together, adding that his support for Adeleke was consistent with that objective.
“When I joined ADC, I joined a party that promoted a coalition of opposition parties. So, what I am demonstrating now is that opposition must come together today,” he said.
Momodu said he consulted some elders within the party before announcing his support for Adeleke, whom he identified alongside the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, as the two major contenders in the election.
He, however, argued that the APC candidate did not possess the political strength to match Adeleke in the state.
“The battle in Osun is not a contest between Adeleke and the APC, it is between Adeleke and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Momodu said.
He added, “APC is no match for Adeleke in Osun, everybody agrees on that. They can make all the noise and all the hulabaloo, but I can tell you today that even the Presidency knows, and I have a lot of friends in APC, they know they cannot match Ademola Adeleke.”
Explaining his decision to support the governor, Momodu cited his close personal relationship with Adeleke, describing him as a friend and “twin brother”.
He said both men were born three days apart in May 1960 and had maintained a close relationship over the years.
Momodu also accused unnamed political actors of subjecting Adeleke to what he described as “bullying” and “intimidation”, urging Nigerians across political affiliations to support the governor.
“He’s being bullied, he’s being intimidated, and all men and women of good conscience should rise up whether you are in our party or wherever,” he said.
The ADC chieftain also praised Adeleke’s performance as governor, saying his support for him would have remained unchanged even if he did not belong to the opposition party.
“Even if I was not in ADC, I would still have supported Ademola. He’s a fantastic soul. Only a wicked man will see the good work he has done in Osun State and ignore it,” Momodu said.
However, he acknowledged that the ADC has its own governorship candidate, Najeem Salam, in the August 15 election.
Momodu appealed to the party leadership to allow him to campaign for Adeleke despite the ADC’s participation in the poll.
“But I’m a democrat. If my party says they are not ready to back him, that is fine. On this occasion, they should please loan me to Ademola Adeleke. I’m begging them to do that,” he said.
Adeleke is seeking a second term in office, while Oyebamiji is contesting on the platform of the APC and Salam is representing the ADC.
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