Only a Reasonable Standard of Justice will Assuage the Public – Dele Momodu

By Eric Elezuo

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Ovation Media Group, Aare Dele Momodu, was a guest on Seun Okinbaloye’s MicOn podcast, and spoke extensively on politics and state of affairs of the Nigerian nation, with emphasis on the February 25, 2023 Presidential Election, the litigation that followed and the Niger coup and aftermath.

The Boss brings you word for word all that transpired on the night…

Intro…

Governance is never one man’s job. The result of good governance is usually a product of concerted efforts and the willingness of the political class to deliver value to the governed. Welcome to the mic on podcast I’m Segun Okinbaloye, and I will be piloting this show which promises to be very engaging because of my guest tonight. This podcast focuses on issues affecting all Nigerians, but pays special and careful attention to how the issues raised affect young Nigerians wherever they are in the world. This is one way to make sure that the conversation never stops after my every weekday show, Politics Today and Sunday Politics on Channels Television. We are also weighing in on some of the issues from the 2023 elections.

Tonight, joining me is one man who does not hold back in sharing his views and also lending himself as a tool for Democratic development and progress in this country. He’s not only been on the sideline as a journalist, he’s also coming to the fray as a presidential candidate. In fact, in the last election, he helped the PDP presidential candidate to direct the Media Publicity and Strategic Affairs of the PDP and Mr Atiku Abubakar. Tonight, I’m being joined by Chief Dele Momodu – I wouldn’t call him Nigerian because he’s also very popular in some other African countries and around the world. Chief Dele Momodu is a publisher and he joins us on this podcast.

Thank you so much for joining us today

MOMODU: Thank you very much, Mr Seun Okinbaloye. Thank you for inviting me on your podcast, and I hope we have a very interesting and robust conversation tonight.

Absolutely, your experience before Nigeria returned to democracy; I know I’ve had several conversations with you about the role you played in the pro-democracy struggle. Some of the roles you played as someone who was very close to MKO Abiola and Chief Gani Fawehinmi. You contested to be a president sometime in this country and you have not also kept quiet in lending your voice into public affairs and the affairs of this country. So, tonight I will be engaging you in so many issues but let me begin because of your role in the 2023 election; the case is in court. However, Bola Tinubu was declared President but so far from what you have seen and Presidential Elections Tribunal. What are your views generally? The engagement of Nigerians, the comportment of the political class and the Judiciary…

Well, let me start by saying that I’m happy that we’re not in a state of war or Anarchy. I’m very happy that our leaders in opposition have comported themselves very well by making sure that they obeyed the rule of law. Those who don’t agree that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed won the election fair and square have gone to court. And that’s the right thing to do. Those of us who are their supporters wish them well in recovering their mandate.

It’s up to the Judiciary to do justice whether it’s my principal, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, or former Governor Peter Obi. So, I’ll be very very willing to stay till the end of the cases. I’m sure at the Supreme Court and then we know the way forward but like I said, the most important thing is for politicians to conduct themselves properly and obey the rule of law.

I know there’s been a lot of monitoring if that is perhaps the word to use for those who are supporting either of the political parties in these but the Judiciary has also been put in a very tight situation.

Oooh! Let’s just move on, and that is why elections will continue to be rigged, and the election riggers will become more emboldened because they know that at every point and at the end of every election cycle, people are going to come up with let’s move on. There is no nation that has made it in the world that made it by just moving on casually; like we are not interested, we are not bothered, it doesn’t matter, it’s not a matter of life and death…, oh is your friend, oh is a Yoruba man, he is a Fulani man, you must support this. We were too casual in our attitude to very serious issues of states. Nigeria is in this sorry state because of that attitude of being casual about moving on, of explaining everything in terms of ethnicity or religion, or friendship. It’s not convenient for me today to drop in a job in the fray and say let me just declare myself a supporter of Asiwaju shamelessly. Forgetting that a few months ago, I was saying that Atiku was this and that.

You see, that is why Nigeria is in trouble. So, a few Patriots must rise up and abort that pettiness of friendship by putting their country above their personal comfort. Comfort cannot be everything,  and the reason it is so is because a lot of our political leaders have no verifiable source or sources of income. Most politicians in Nigeria are career politicians. If you ask a man, and say what you do and he says I’m a politician then you know the best politicians even they still want to remain in power you are a governor today, you become Minister tomorrow, you become Senator a day after because the state must continue to provide for them.

So, I am hoping that the Judiciary will do justice and must be seen to have done Justice no matter what happens. Of course, everybody will not agree whatever the Judgment is but there is what is called a reasonable standard of justice; that is what Nigerians are expecting at this time.

With what we have seen in Nigeria in the past months and years, do you trust the Judiciary to do justice?

If we didn’t trust the Judiciary, we won’t go to court. We are in court because we expect the Judiciary to do their best by ensuring Justice is upheld in our country, Nigeria. If they fail, they will a spectacle. They will fail their family, they will fail themselves, they will fail their country, they will fail the continent of Africa because it means that we’ll be back to the jungle. So, in the state of Nigeria today, everybody is talking about it. As you know, I travel everywhere around the world, and nobody is pleased with the fact that we cannot conduct a simple election, especially the presidential election. On the same day you have the presidential election, you held the National Assembly election. In one, everything went smoothly. In another, in the same election, same time, same place, everything started going haywire. That for me is very unfortunate after spending a budget of about N400 billion. We wasted a budget of 400 billion after the reassurances of all the assurances from Mahmoud Yakubu. I mean, it’s just so sad, do you know how much Nigeria could have done with 400 billion? There is no point wasting all that resources if we knew we will not be serious; if we knew that we were not going to conduct a proper election. And it was a charade and we just wasted people’s time.

I will like to ask you, do you think that there is any sense of credibility or fairness in that election?

No. I don’t. For the presidential election, it was a very hopeless case. In my knowledge of Nigerian history. I’m a good student of Nigerian history. My knowledge of Nigerian history is very simple. In 1979 and 1983, we held similar elections; very very similar. Chief Obafemi Awolowo ran from the South West, Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe ran from the South, and Mallam Aminu Kanu was a major force just like Rabiu Kwankanso, you cannot attempt to cross to the other side and win a few regions. So, you must lock down four regions very very well but those regions must include your own region.

In a situation where a man is not strong in the South-East is not strong in the South-South, barely managed in his own base, something is wrong. But like I said, the case is in court that is my view. So, those that go to court, know that it is very expensive, outlandishly expensive to go through a court process. Do you know how many billions will be wasted by Peter Obi, by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in court? This could have been saved up if Yakubu was ready to listen and ready to take a pause and say okay let’s wait two-three-four days. Even if you are going to pretend, pretend. In life, you cannot just tell people to go to hell, go to places, go to court, and expect that there won’t be repercussions. It is wrong.

So, you blame the INEC Chairman?

I blame him! Absolutely! He was not cautious at all. What he did was reckless by not listening to those who complained about when the election thing was on. That’s what we are against. It is not about who won or who did not win. I don’t care! I am a Democrat! I know in an election only one man can win, and I know that it was very possible for Asiwaju to have won that election but it will be sane to have won without unnecessary controversies.

Well, if you say the election wasn’t free and fair, how then would you describe…

At the University, I read a book about the Artful Dodger. I can’t remember the author now so you can Google it later. Anybody who wants to compromise an election will not be so stupid as to make it obvious that I have compromised the election. If you want to rig the election, you will get expert riggers. You will get mathematicians, statisticians, you will get all kinds of people, you will even have psychologists; who will give you the psychology of election. Apart from the anatomy of it, the work of the psychology is to give a near-perfect semblance. That is where the problem is, it has nothing to do with who won or who did not win; nobody is my enemy.

You know very well how close I am to Asiwaju despite that we are not in the same political party. If he won and even that election was just 52, 54, and 55 percent accurate, nobody will complain. But this one was a disgrace to Nigeria; an International disgrace. Everywhere you go, people are talking about it; even the coup plotters in Niger are taunting us.

Would you in a way as Dele Momodu think of being a President of Nigeria; maybe in 2027?

No! I remember telling Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal the other day, I said “Oga, I’m sorry, I can never contest again in Nigeria. Unless my party decides to adopt me”. And that’s the level of frustration in the land. It’s virtually impossible because there are too many big forces at play. Those forces are not easy. Forces of money, forces of politics, forces of religion, forces of ethnicity, all kinds. Even International people who are interested. There are international parties. You have the British, the Americans, the Russians, the Chinese, the Indians, etc.

If everything doesn’t work well now, do you think this could be Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s final try at being President?

It could be anybody’s final try even Tinubu who was declared President. I’m sure they are in the same category if you want to answer that question. But I can’t answer for them. It is their personal decision. After all, Joe Biden in America is planning to come back if his party gives him the ticket. So, he will be in his 80s, but Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is one of the largest employers of labour in Nigeria, and has a verifiable means of income. People love and respect him for that. He’s been able to build bridges across Nigeria. Don’t forget that in 1990, he moved on without causing any problems in the party. Any other person would have caused so much Mayhem, he had the capacity.

This is a man who right from the time he was a teenager, has been a businessman. He was able to build a house for his mother after his father died; even before he was 18. That is him, and he has maintained that business acumen. God has blessed him so much. His children are very well educated, so they can survive without government.

What would he say to those who believe that…

The South-East voted overwhelmingly for him, while the South-West voted overwhelmingly for Awolowo. Do you understand? But Awolowo would have been president if Awolowo was going to win the entire North; which is impossible because people vote along ethnic lines. That’s why I’m telling you that if you already lose your base, it becomes very very difficult for you to go and win elsewhere. So, you don’t win in Lagos, you don’t win in Osun State.

There is a confidence that he has gotten from some Elites; the Northern oligarchy, and some who are referred to as the owners of Nigeria that you should not worry, that it was coming to him. So, do you think that could have an effect, perhaps the confidence that he had which was now being toppled by the outcome of the election?

No! You see people will give you one million reasons you won or you failed. I am telling you a seasoned politician like Atiku never believed in someone helping him behind the scene. What Atiku 5% in FCT annexes they don’t have enough spread in two-thirds of 36 States. Tinubu did not have FCT like my principal Atiku. So, that renders the whole thing inconclusive. The Judgment should be clear on that. The other is to disqualify one of the candidates based on…I hope you understand what I am saying.

Absolutely!

I don’t want to be seen disparaging anyone. They’re all my friends; all of them. Tinubu, Atiku, Peter Obi, Kwankanso. We will be together forever. So, I don’t want to disparage anybody. But I’m giving you the legal basis upon which the judges will now have to react and give their judgment.

Atiku did not have 25 percent in FCT. So, there is a statement between those declared number one and number two there’s a stalemate and only the law court can tackle that. The only person with 25 percent is Peter Obi, and if Obi is able to prove that he won 25 in most states than both of them. Then, they will declare him the winner. It’s as simple as ABC. I am not the one that will determine that.

Peter Obi, to me, is the only one who reflected the wishes of the Constitution. The only area he now has to add to it is that he had 25 percent in 24, 25 States. If he can’t prove that, then it’s a stalemate.

He has taken some steps that I liked. He has taken some steps that I believe he needs to be very cautious. So, if I have an opportunity after the court cases to advise, I will write in Pendulum. One of the reasons I’ve not been writing Pendulum is that I don’t want to pre-judge anything. So, when the court cases are done, I have my powerful back page of ThisDay Newspaper.

If you don’t have reliable sources to give you the information, you will not be able to speak authoritatively. For any leader to stream the team that I’m seeing now, I’m sorry, it’s even worse than Buhari’s team.

What about El-Rufai? Is it not the same El-Rufai that’s there now?

That’s the original! When he was an original minister before the remaining moles in PDP. And many moles still remain in PDP. What the PDP is doing is to be very careful. Know that when a bull enters your China shop, you have to be very careful in getting the bull out of the China shop. People say “Oh, why don’t you expel this, why don’t you expel that?” They are just being careful, not that they are stupid. They are being careful; hoping that there will be a change of mind but some people can never change their mind for as long as money is flowing from one direction. And there are people funding insurrection in PDP, it’s normal. Then, there are people who are still hopeful. You know the Federal Government distributes the biggest largesse; there will be ambassadors, there will be heads of parastatals, there will be all kinds of appointments, and politicians and ministers that will be promising them “Don’t worry, just let me settle down in my Ministry”. So, they live on hope and crumbs. So, a lot of people who are in PDP today, have one leg in PDP and one leg in APC or wherever they will find comfort tomorrow. Some of them are also pretending to be playing along because they are not sure; “what if we say Atiku will not come in and Atiku comes because Atiku has a very good chance of coming in from the court cases and what they can see? I can feel that mood in the party. A lot of people believe that Atiku stands a very good chance. So, because of that, some of them who would have somersaulted into APC are keeping calm and waiting to distribute any amount to buy and call it favors and loyalty. Most people are not going to go away. People will start going when it gets to that state they realize that it’s not possible for Wike to fund everybody. So, right now, today, at any meeting of the PDP, you will find Wike’s guys comfortably sitting. What are you going to do? You’re not going to beat them off. They were friends once upon a time. These are adults.

Sometimes, I feel like that. Like how can somebody be obviously in another party and you’re still putting his name in a team that will go and talk in Bayelsa, Kogi, etc?

My final question to you, Chief Dele Momodu would be about the pains of Nigerians in the aftermath of the removal of subsidy on petrol and the policies of President Tinubu, and the palliatives, the Nationwide broadcast. Let me get your view on that decision, the reaction of the president, and the further policy decisions that have been made. How would you react to it? What’s your assessment? What is your gauge? what is your opinion about how those things have happened between May 29 when he made a statement and now?

I have already answered that question but I would attempt to answer it again.

There are things you don’t rush into just like this Niger crisis. You need experts to sit down with you, For example, when we talk about subsidies in Nigeria, people get confused. Who were the beneficiaries? It doesn’t make sense…

But before you go, because I am simultaneously on Instagram and Facebook as well I just want to respond to someone on Facebook. Please, give me that permission.

Okay. Fantastic!

The person said I was once Wike’s boy. I was never a Wike’s boy. I was a consultant to Wike. I rebranded Wike. And you would have seen our pictures dressing well. I can post many of them tonight. Dressing well, looking well, looking happy being beside me even giving me his official car to drive; removing the flag from his official car. Wike knew I have been consulting for big people long before I joined politics. From age 30, 31, I was already Consulting for Chief MKO Abiola. So, stopped coming on social media thinking that everybody is at your level. A boy will not have worked away from all those dollars.

TWITTER CUE IN:

SPEAKER 1:

Chief Dele Momodu, good afternoon sir…if you can hear.

When you say that there are some policies from the Tinubu Administration that is good, I don’t understand it because what I know about policy is that, policies are meant to better the lives of the people and not to impoverish them not to put them in more penury. I don’t still understand when everybody comes out to say these policies are good there will be good in the long term. I don’t see it as a sensible talk, what do you think about it, sir?

CHIEF MOMODU: Let me respond quickly, the policy of removing different exchange rates for different Nigerians, I’m happy that it is gone. That’s one of the policies I was referring to when I said there are policies of Tinubu that I like. Thank you. thank you so much

SPEAKER 2:

Good afternoon from here, I’m listening carefully to the submission from the very beginning and you guys have tried to speak from your own different perspective. Anyway, I wanted to also let Chief understand that Mr. Atiku lost that election when Peter Obi left. We have to just be factual about that. It is a pure reality. However, Obi also went ahead to play religious politics reason he won Lagos. People were disgruntled because of the Muslim-Muslim ticket and you know somehow Christianity is headquartered in Lagos. Somehow, Obi had pandered through that logic from that perspective not for any other reason or because of any performance or anything. We all know those facts.

However, I wanted to also ask you sir that in all honesty because if you look at the petition that Atiku and Obi put forward, I’m just taking you back to all of this I have gone through it and I’ve not seen where they have said that there was a rigging in those their petition. Their petitions were leaning towards more of defamation of Mr President Bola Ahmed’s character that he submit, he refunded something he did. They didn’t come forward with any allegations saying that he rigged the election maybe they also talked about the Abuja 25 percent and all. That’s on the other side.

Then, I also took some time to check out Atiku’s petition, he was also trying to claw back some votes from Obi in the Southeast because he felt that those are PDP strongholds he should have gotten something out of those places.

CHIEF MOMODU: The took that route to save them some time and resources. Why are you looking for the word ‘rigging’ when they said there were infractions, and that you did not transmit electoral results, you did not do this. That is enough to nullify the election. Coming to say you rigged me; you reduced 20 votes from Alimosho – you will need to search for those votes. The lawyers were smart at this time. Go and look at the calibre of lawyers in Nigeria today, I’m so proud of them; they knew all the tricks in the past. You will need to go and bring a forensic expert, and for the next six months, you are searching for one.

SPEAKER 3

Thank you very much. I’ll be very quick. I think Chief Dele Momodu did brilliantly well today. Honestly, I couldn’t agree more with most of his submissions and just to quickly say, it’s not correct that the petitioners didn’t talk about rigging. Let’s not forget that there are 18,000 blurred polling unit results that INEC could not provide their own top copies.

That said, my question actually is about a requirement for Constitutional Amendment…