Publisher of Ovation magazine and a veteran journalist turned politician, Mr. Dele Momodu has said that he politely turned down a request by of Senator Remi Tinubu, the wife of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu to campaign for her husband.
Momodu, who was one of the presidential aspirants that contested for the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said he told Senator Remi Tinubu that as a loyal member of the PDP, he cannot engage in anti-party activity thus would not support Tinubu’s aspiration for the presidency.
The veteran journalists he and Senator Remi Tinubu met on Thursday, August 25, 2022 at the funeral service of the late politician, Mrs Kemi Nelson during which she accosted him and asked why he would not campaign for her husband, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Momodu said that he joined PDP because APC was leading Nigeria to Golgotha, adding that APC candidates are promising to continue BUHARI’S ‘good works!’
In his words; “I joined PDP in order to sack APC from power and to do this I needed a strong opposition party. I had preached to my younger friends that only a mainstream party like PDP can achieve this in 2023. This remains my conviction. I practice what I preach.
“Those who disagree are in other parties and I respect their opinions and wish them well. I’m in PDP,” he said.
Momodu also said that it was only two people, apart from the photographers that witnessed what happened between him and Senator Oluremi Tinubu on Thursday at the funeral service of Chief Mrs. Kemi Nelson, at the Archbishop Vining Memorial Church, Ikeja, Lagos.
He further said; “Before some people add salt and pepper to it, I need to state precisely what happened…
“SENATOR TOKUNBO ABIRU and DR TUNJI OLOWOLAFE and I had walked in about the same time and we went to greet my very dear Sister, SENATOR MRS OLUREMI TINUBU…
“Immediately she saw me, we exchanged our usual pleasantries and then she asked me “so Bob Dee, you’re not going to campaign for my husband…”
“I smiled and remained very calm before replying: Your Excellency, I’m in PDP…
“She apparently didn’t find it funny and regaled us with the past I shared with her husband and I tried to calm her down…
“Anyway, I went back to my seat and pondered on what just happened and I soliloquised: Before the PDP Primary, I had been asked repeatedly by journalists if I’ll dump PDP if I don’t get the ticket, my answer was NO. “So, if I had gotten the PDP ticket, would I step down for TINUBU of APC, the answer is NO…”
“I joined PDP because APC was leading Nigeria to Golgotha. APC candidates are promising to continue BUHARI’S “good works!”
“I joined PDP in order to sack APC from power and to do this I needed a strong opposition party. I had preached to my younger friends that only a mainstream party like PDP can achieve this in 2023. This remains my conviction. I practice what I preach. Those who disagree are in other parties and I respect their opinions and wish them well. I’m in PDP.
“I love ASIWAJU BOLA AHMED TINUBU. We’ve truly come way back. I love PROFESSOR YEMI OSINBAJO. I love RT. HON. CHIBUIKE ROTIMI AMAECHI… And all my APC friends… APC has done too much damage to Nigeria.
“I choose to place Nigeria above friendship… I will try my best to support and encourage our PDP candidate ALHAJI ATIKU ABUBAKAR to do the right things in our party and to rescue our dear beloved country from the vestiges of oppression, religious intolerance, poverty, terrorism, infrastructure decay, economic wows, unemployment…
“God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria…” Momodu concluded.
