Publisher and former presidential candidate, Dele Momodu, has said he would give his full support to President Bola Tinubu if the administration remained committed to the democratic ideals they fought for during Nigeria’s years of military rule.
Momodu stated that he would be willing to “swim to the depth of the Atlantic Ocean” for Tinubu if the President governed in line with the principles that guided their pro-democracy struggle.
He, however, warned against a situation where civilian rule would become another form of dictatorship.
Momodu made the remarks during an interview with Arise TV on Thursday.
He said, “I will ordinarily swim to the depth of the Atlantic Ocean for Tinubu if he was practising what we fought against when we were fighting the military.”
The publisher said his criticism of Tinubu was based primarily on his concern about the direction of democracy under the current administration and was not motivated by personal animosity.
“There is no earthly reason why I would not, but I would be a bloody hypocrite if after we claimed to have changed the way of military dictatorship, we now replace it with civilian dictatorship. That’s my only problem with him,” he said.
Momodu also defended his continued respect for the President, saying Tinubu had played a role in shaping his political outlook and had encouraged him to challenge powerful institutions.
He said, “Everything else, you see, when they are abusing him, you won’t see me abusing him. I have tremendous regards for him, and he was one of those who trained me and instilled this kind of discipline that, look, you can take on the establishment and win.”
According to Momodu, Tinubu’s political record in Lagos helped establish him as a major political figure before he eventually rose to national prominence.
“That is why that was the record he carried from Lagos as a local champion to a national champion,” he added.
Momodu and Tinubu have known each other for decades, having participated in Nigeria’s pro-democracy struggle during the military era.
Tinubu, who was a senator at the time, was associated with the National Democratic Coalition, which campaigned for the restoration of the mandate of the late MKO Abiola following the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
Momodu was also involved in the pro-democracy movement and was later detained over his activities.
Both men eventually went into exile during the military crackdown of the 1990s before returning to Nigeria after the death of military ruler Sani Abacha in 1998.
Although Momodu has become a vocal critic of the Tinubu administration, particularly over its political and economic policies, he has continued to acknowledge the President’s influence on his political development.
Momodu contested the 2011 presidential election on the platform of the National Conscience Party and has more recently been associated with the African Democratic Congress as opposition activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections.
