By Joe Udo
ABUJA (CONVERSEER) – A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dele Momodu, has dismissed claims that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar could use money to influence the party’s presidential primaries unduly.
Speaking on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television’s Morning Brief, the publisher of Ovation Magazine addressed concerns over how the ADC would manage the presidential ambitions of its leading figures ahead of the party’s primary election.
Momodu argued that Atiku does not have access to billions of dollars to bribe delegates, stressing that the former vice president does not control state resources like some other political actors.
“Asiwaju controls at least Lagos. I don’t know other states he controls personally, and he can do and undo. Wike controls Rivers. But Atiku is a businessman,” Momodu said.
He explained that Atiku has remained a private businessman since leaving office in 2007 and does not control any state in Nigeria, questioning the basis of claims that he could deploy vast sums of money to influence delegates.
“He has been a businessman since he left power in 2007. He does not control any state in Nigeria. So where will he get billions of dollars to spend on bribing delegates?” he asked.
Momodu insisted that strategy, rather than money, secured Atiku’s victory over Nyesom Wike during the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primary in 2022, adding that Wike had been confident no rival could match his financial strength.
“That’s why they used a strategy to outsmart Wike, and that’s why Wike became inconsolable. Till today, Wike has not recovered because he was so sure that nobody could match him dollar for dollar,” he said.
He further clarified that campaign funding should not be equated with bribery, noting that political campaigns require resources for logistics and organisation rather than the inducement of delegates.
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“It’s not just about money. When we talk about money, there are logistics. We’re not talking about bribing,” Momodu stated.
To support his argument, he cited the 2024 United States presidential election, pointing out that former Vice President Kamala Harris raised more funds than President Donald Trump but still lost the election.
According to Momodu, campaign funds are largely deployed for logistics and election security, including safeguarding votes at polling units to prevent manipulation or theft.
“You need, for example, on the day of the general elections, to ensure you can manage every polling unit. Make sure nobody rewrites your votes or steals them. That’s what we mean by money,” he added.
