A former presidential aspirant and publisher, Ovation magazine, Dele Momodu, has narrated what transpired between him and Senator Remi Tinubu, wife of the presidential flagbearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, during the funeral of chieftain of the APC, Kemi Nelson, in Lagos.
Momodu, in a terse statement posted on his verified Instagram page via @delemomoduovation on Friday, stated that he chose to place Nigeria above friendship.
The media mogul, who is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), disclosed that he rejected Remi’s proposal to back her husband in next year’s election.
He said, “Only two people, apart from the photographers, witnessed what happened between me and Senator Oluremi Tinubu yesterday, at the funeral service of Chief Kemi Nelson, at (the) Archbishop Vining Memorial Church in Ikeja, Lagos.
“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 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 (the) 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 (the) APC, the answer is No.’
“I joined (the) PDP because the APC was leading Nigeria to Golgotha. The APC candidates are promising to continue Buhari’s ‘good works!’ I joined the 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 the PDP can achieve this in 2023.
“This remains my conviction. I practise 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… But the 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.”
