Publisher and political commentator Dele Momodu has criticized the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for its decision to restrict the 2027 presidential candidacy to Southern Nigeria.
In a statement on Tuesday, he described the move as a reckless misstep that effectively makes President Bola Tinubu’s re-election a ‘done deal’.
The outspoken publisher accused the opposition party of succumbing to what he called shallow and manipulative pressure from insiders covertly aligned with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Rather than standing firm, Momodu argued, PDP insiders allowed themselves to be swayed by “cheap and puerile blackmail”, undermining their own political strength.
He traced the decision directly to the influence of former Rivers State governor Nyesom Wike, alleging that the Southern zoning maneuver served as a strategic play benefiting Tinubu’s 2027 ambitions. Momodu described Wike’s role as a commanding presence pushing anxious governors who, in his words, “lack the courage to defy a dictatorial grip”.
He further noted how PDP members failed to rally behind their own candidate, Sim Fubara, when his leadership faltered in Rivers State, exposing the internal divisions within the opposition.
The campaign to zone the presidency southwards, Momodu said, contradicts previous positions of the same political actors, pointing specifically to the party’s earlier rejection of zoning in 2022 and Wike’s own aspirations to serve as Vice President under a Northern candidate. The former governor, according to Momodu, is now leading the charge for a Southern candidate.
Momodu stated that the PDP has practically given up its organizational independence, effectively aligning with the APC’s power plan. He called on the opposition to be honest with Nigerians about the reality behind the scenes. He dismissed rumors of potential candidates like Goodluck Jonathan, Peter Obi, or Seyi Makinde as deliberate distractions meant to fuel false hope.
The critic also lambasted the PDP’s apparent double standards, recounting historical precedents involving northern and southern leadership disputes that the party ignored. He questioned why the opposition remained silent when President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua passed away without northern succession demands or when Tinubu ran on a Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2023, recounting selective memory in political arguments.
Yesterday, one of Africa’s biggest but embattled parties shot itself in the foot by hiding behind convenient excuses…Wike’s influence is undeniable. He orders hapless governors around while the party’s structure crumbles in Rivers State. Give it up, Tinubu is already the shared candidate of the APC and PDP. No amount of denial can change that reality – Momodu wrote on Instagram
With this development, Nigerians await whether the opposition will regain unity or continue fracturing under internal power plays. For now, the zoning decision appears set, shaping the battle lines for the coming race.
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