Only Northern Consensus Candidate Can Defeat Tinubu – Momodu

Publisher Dele Momodu has said that only a united Northern consensus candidate stands a realistic chance of defeating President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election.

The publisher of Ovation Magazine warned that divisions within the opposition could strengthen the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Momodu made the remarks during an interview on Channels Politics Today on Tuesday, where he assessed the state of opposition coalitions, particularly the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and the growing rivalry among key political actors.

According to him, the opposition’s current fragmentation and competing ambitions among its leading figures could undermine any serious attempt to unseat Tinubu.

He argued that the 2027 presidential race would be dominated by what he described as “big political forces” across the country, including Tinubu as incumbent, former President Goodluck Jonathan from the South-South, and potential combinations of Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso, depending on how alliances are eventually structured.

“We are going to have a very big fish from the South-South, a lesser big fish from the South-East, and the biggest fish from the South-West,” he said, stressing that strategy, not emotion, would determine the outcome of the election.

Momodu cautioned opposition leaders against internal disputes and personal attacks, particularly referencing recent criticisms within the ADC.

He urged former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, to exercise restraint in his political engagements, insisting that temperament and unity were critical at this stage of political mobilisation.

“In the name of Almighty God, he should cool temper,” Momodu said, adding that opposition leaders must prioritise strategic consensus-building over internal contests.

He also argued that the ADC and other opposition blocs lacked the time and resources to conduct prolonged internal primaries, suggesting that a consensus arrangement would be more practical if they hoped to remain competitive against the APC.

Momodu dismissed the zoning debate as a distraction, insisting that Nigeria’s political reality would ultimately favour strategic consolidation rather than regional sentiment.

“There is no zoning in the Nigerian constitution. Let us stop distracting ourselves,” he said.

The media figure further maintained that opposition politics in the North appeared more strategically coordinated compared to the South, which he said was increasingly fragmented by individual ambitions.

He warned that if leading opposition figures such as Peter Obi, Goodluck Jonathan, and other southern aspirants continue on separate paths, it could weaken their collective strength and inadvertently benefit the APC.