Dele Momodu, publisher of Ovation magazine and a chieftain of the African Democratic Party (ADC), has cautioned Rotimi Amaechi, former minister of transportation, to control his temper and stop attacking Atiku Abubakar.
Momodu spoke during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Tuesday.
Earlier, Amaechi had clashed with a presenter on Trust TV after being asked whether he would accept a vice-presidential slot if the ADC adopts a consensus presidential candidate.
The former Rivers governor had also claimed that Atiku suffers from an “electability problem”, arguing that although the former vice-president wins party primaries, he fails to secure victory in general elections.
Reacting to the outburst, Momodu urged Amaechi to be more measured in his public conduct.
“In the name of Almighty God, Amaechi should please cool his temper,” he said.
“He should know that a potential presidential candidate and future president must watch his temper and temperament and does not need to attack Atiku.”
ATIKU DOESN’T HAVE ELECTABILITY
Momodu also dismissed Amaechi’s claim that Atiku is unelectable, insisting that the former vice-president remains one of the strongest opposition politicians in the country.
“The most unfortunate thing my friend said was that Atiku is unelectable,” he said.
The media entrepreneur cited voting figures from the 2023 presidential election to argue that Atiku still commands substantial support across different regions of Nigeria.
According to him, Atiku recorded millions of votes across the north-west, north-east, south-west and north-central during the last election.
“How can you say it’s not electable?” he asked.
Momodu further argued that Amaechi lacks the electoral strength to defeat key political figures such as Goodluck Jonathan, Peter Obi or Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Amaechi does not have the capacity to defeat Jonathan, Obi or Tinubu,” he said.
“I cannot see any path in that direction.”
He added that anyone serious about defeating Tinubu in 2027 must understand the electoral realities and voting patterns across the country.
