Renowned journalist and former presidential aspirant, Dele Momodu, has opened up about his costly experience during the 2023 Peoples Democratic Party primaries, where he spent fifty million naira to purchase the party’s nomination form but failed to secure even a single delegate vote.
Speaking during a podcast episode of Key to Keys Show, Momodu described the financial and systemic barriers that define Nigeria’s political landscape. “The last one, I spent about fifty million buying the nomination form, yeah! Fifty million would have bought me a property, and it was a waste; nobody voted…not even one vote,” he said.
Momodu lamented the monetization of Nigeria’s political system, noting that some aspirants allegedly offered up to $30,000 per delegate to secure their votes. He described this practice as a significant hurdle for candidates without substantial financial resources.
Reflecting on the broader challenges, he remarked, “There are powers you can describe as principalities that control Nigeria. Unless a major political party decides to adopt me, where you have a consensus or people who will say, ‘Dele Momodu is best suited to lead Nigeria,’ then I can consider it.”
Momodu’s journey in the PDP primaries was a testament to these systemic challenges. Despite rejoining politics in 2021 with the hope of advancing Nigeria’s democracy, his campaign struggled against heavyweights like former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, and Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel.
The primaries, held in May 2022, were reportedly marred by intense lobbying and allegations of delegate inducement, a reflection of the entrenched monetization of Nigeria’s political process.
Atiku Abubakar eventually emerged as the PDP’s flag bearer, but the party’s internal divisions persisted, with figures like Wike voicing dissatisfaction over the conduct of the primaries. This disunity arguably weakened the party’s performance in the 2023 general elections, where Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress secured victory amidst controversies.