The publisher of Ovation magazine, Dele Momodu, has been advised to desist from what has been described as persistent and unwarranted attacks on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
In a statement issued by Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the FCT Minister, Momodu was criticised for his continued criticism of Wike, which Olayinka described as obsessive and irrational.
“The self-appointed chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) appears to have graduated from psychology to psychosis, such that he now sees Wike in everything he does, even in his sleep,” Olayinka said.
He questioned Momodu’s political relevance, pointing out that during the PDP presidential primary in 2022, not a single delegate voted for him.
“Was Wike responsible for that? Or why this obsession with anything Wike?” he asked.
Olayinka was reacting to Momodu’s remarks during a national television interview, where the media mogul questioned Wike’s role in Nigeria’s democratic history, asking, “Where was Wike during the June 12 struggle?”
In response, Olayinka fired back, “Where was Dele Momodu too when Nigeria was being founded? Was he among the founding fathers of Nigeria, living in the country?”
The exchange marks the latest in a series of public spats between the two political figures.
He said, “Since in the warped mindset of Dele Momodu, those who were not part of the June 12 struggle are not entitled to speak about democracy in Nigeria, I think those who were not part of the struggle for the independence of Nigeria should also not live in the country.”
While admonishing Dele Momodu to stop lying about his involvement in the June 12 struggle, Olayinka said, “He only used the June 12 struggle to Japa. He didn’t struggle for anything other than his own well-being.
“Those who genuinely struggled for June 12 didn’t use the children of the man who incarcerated MKO Abiola till he died in custody, as a model for any photo book, as done by Dele Momodu.
“They also did not go about visiting the mansions of Military Generals to take pictures for publication as done by Dele Momodu with his Ovation Photo Book.
“Therefore, when the register of those who fought for the actualisation of June 12 is being taken, people like Dele Momodu, who used it to hustle, should stop forcing their names into it.”
