Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has strongly criticized Ovation Magazine publisher, Dele Momodu, accusing him of being a "fairweather friend" who supports former Vice President Atiku Abubakar solely for financial gain.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Olayinka claimed that Momodu’s loyalty to Atiku is purely transactional, alleging that the media mogul would abandon Atiku in a heartbeat if the financial support were to cease. Olayinka remarked, "We are hearing all this noise from him because Atiku is paying his bills. Let Atiku stop paying, Oga Dele Momodu will move to the next victim."
Olayinka also refuted Momodu’s recent statement that Wike was responsible for Peter Obi’s exit from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), dismissing it as baseless. He argued that Momodu, who he said is focused only on personal gains, was ill-informed on the matter.
"Only someone like Dele Momodu, who does not have knowledge of anything apart from his stomach, would claim that it was Wike that drove Peter Obi out of the PDP," Olayinka said.
Further fueling the feud, Olayinka accused Atiku of undermining the PDP's efforts for years, citing his role in sabotaging the party’s bid to win Lagos State in 2003. He also questioned Atiku's credibility regarding the South-East presidential candidate issue, pointing out that Atiku had already expressed his interest in the PDP's presidential ticket before the zoning committee had concluded its work.
Olayinka pointed to the departure of several key PDP figures, such as former campaign director-general Senator Gbenga Daniel, Atiku’s 2023 running mate Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, and former Akwa Ibom Governor Udom Emmanuel, as signs of growing dissatisfaction with Atiku’s leadership.
"Was it Wike that made Senator Gbenga Daniel, who was the Director General of Atiku’s 2019 campaign, leave PDP barely two weeks after the election?" Olayinka queried. "Was it Wike that made Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa leave the PDP?"
He concluded by suggesting that Atiku's actions, driven by selfishness, were responsible for the internal rifts within the party, leading to a wave of defections by high-ranking members.
Efforts to reach Atiku’s spokesperson, Paul Ibe, and Dele Momodu for comments were unsuccessful.
