News, Politics

Dele Momodu Says Tinubu Opposes Strong Opposition, Credits Buhari for His Presidency

Published by Samuel Ayomide on March 16th, 2026.

Former presidential candidate Dele Momodu has criticised Bola Ahmed Tinubu, accusing the Nigerian leader of discouraging political opposition and attempting to dominate the country’s political landscape.

Momodu made the remarks during an appearance on Sunday Politics aired on Channels Television, where he argued that democracy requires vibrant opposition parties and competitive elections.

According to the publisher and politician, the political environment under Tinubu appears to favour the ruling party in a way that undermines opposition voices.

“There must be opposition politics and there must be opposition candidates,” Momodu said during the interview. “But Tinubu wants to contest against himself and it doesn’t make sense to me.”

Momodu also suggested that the emergence of Tinubu as president was largely influenced by the support of the late former Nigerian leader Muhammadu Buhari, who handed over power to Tinubu after the 2023 general elections.

“Look, Buhari handed over to Tinubu, but for Buhari it would have been impossible for Tinubu to be president today,” he said.

The former presidential aspirant further criticised what he described as the use of exaggerated or misleading statistics by supporters of the administration to portray economic and political progress.

Momodu, who previously contested for Nigeria’s presidency under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said his alignment with Atiku Abubakar reflects his belief in the need for credible opposition capable of challenging the ruling party.

Political observers say Momodu’s comments reflect broader debates within Nigeria’s political space about the strength of opposition parties and the need for competitive democratic processes ahead of future elections.

Several Nigerian media organisations, including The Punch and Daily Trust, have reported growing concerns among opposition figures regarding the balance of political power and the role of opposition parties in Nigeria’s democracy.