NIGERIA IS REGRESSING TOWARDS CIVILIAN AUTOCRACY-DELE MOMODU

Read Time:3 Minute, 26 Second

By Tejiri Oghene

Previous presidential contender from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dele Momodu, has conveyed apprehension regarding the present condition of Nigeria’s democracy, cautioning that the nation is regressing into what he termed civilian dictatorship.

The PDP leader, who addressed Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday, expressed concern over the deterioration of democratic principles, particularly in the approach to this year’s Democracy Day.

“I am extremely pleased that today aligns with the approach to June 12 (Democracy Day), such that if we possess any remnant of conscience, we will recognize that we have undermined this democracy,” he stated.

The crux of the issue is that on the evening of June 12, Nigeria has fundamentally reverted to autocratic governance that ignores your feelings or perspectives. Nigerians are suffering from hunger.

“We have compromised this democracy, and I sincerely hope we have not tarnished it beyond restoration, as the brazen audacity, the insolence of this group of politicians—regardless of their affiliations in the executive, legislative, or local government—is utterly astonishing.

He added that those who fought and died for democracy, particularly during the June 12 struggle, would be heartbroken if they could witness the current state of the nation.

“All those who suffered for this democracy—especially those who are now in heaven—if they can see us, they would be crying,” Momodu said.

Regarding the internal turmoil afflicting the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Momodu admonished the sway of Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The PDP leader alleged that he had usurped party determinations, undermined internal frameworks, and further called into question Wike’s democratic qualifications.

“It sounds ridiculous that one man, who should be busy in Abuja, is dictating where the PDP presidential ticket should go in 2027. What Wike is doing is a rehash of what he did in Rivers State—and he is clearly doing so with the backing of those at the top,” he said.

“Where was Wike during the June 12 struggle? Who knew him then? But today, he speaks as if he’s the founding father of Nigeria.”

Momodu also criticised the recent state of emergency declared in Rivers State, suggesting it was triggered by Wike’s refusal to let go of control.

“A major crisis of monumental dimension was orchestrated and aggravated by one man. Just because he wouldn’t go away quietly, a state of emergency had to be declared. It’s unprecedented in Nigeria’s history,” he noted.

He accused Wike of staging a “coup” against the PDP by using coercion and political maneuvering to impose his will.

“What he’s doing now is tantamount to staging a coup against the party that made him everything he is today. He does not have the moral right to dictate the direction of the PDP,” the publisher stated.

Reacting to President Bola Tinubu’s comments during Tuesday’s inauguration of the refurbished Abuja International Conference Centre—now named after the president—Momodu said the president’s remarks revealed a disturbing trend.

He said, “I listened to the President refer to concerned Nigerians as ‘busybodies’ and ‘bystanders.’ Who is a bystander in his own country? All because of one man—Wike.”

” Wike was dancing after commissioning a center said to have cost over ₦30 billion. Right now, it feels like we have two presidents in Nigeria,” Momodu stated.

Despite the party’s troubles, Momodu dismissed the idea of joining the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), even as many governors under the PDP have defected to the ruling party.

“If I wanted to join the APC, I wouldn’t be speaking to you like this. I’d be giving excuses, like the rest. But my soul is out of PDP—I cannot sit in a room where one man dictates to adults who have served Nigeria all their lives,” he said.

Momodu warned that unless Nigeria reforms its political culture and restores democratic values, the country risks sinking into autocracy.

“PDP is part of its own problem, no doubt. But people like Wike, doing what they do with impunity, are taking us dangerously backwards.”