African Democratic Congress chieftain Dele Momodu has backed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to win the 2027 presidential election, predicting a coordinated northern push combined with a strong southern showing could prove decisive.
Dele Momodu is not mincing his words. The veteran journalist and politician has doubled down on his conviction that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is the man best placed to end President Bola Tinubu’s time in Aso Rock and he doesn’t think Peter Obi should get in the way.
Speaking to Punch, Momodu described Atiku as the most experienced and nationally connected politician in the opposition space, arguing that his political reach across Nigeria gives him a decisive edge over other contenders. He was particularly firm on the Obi question, dismissing calls for Atiku to stand aside for the former Anambra governor and insisting the former vice president has every reason to stay in the race.
For Momodu, the 2027 election is shaping up as a straight fight between Tinubu and Atiku and he believes Atiku wins that contest. The Ovation publisher argued that a well-structured opposition alliance built around the former VP could significantly dent Tinubu’s re-election chances, pointing to an earlier suggestion that a ticket pairing Atiku with a prominent southern figure either Obi himself or former Rivers governor Rotimi Amaechi could prove the decisive formula against the ruling APC.
The comments land at a critical moment for the opposition. Political realignments are gathering pace ahead of 2027, but the path to a united front remains rocky. Party defections and internal divisions continue to raise uncomfortable questions about whether opposition leaders can avoid a repeat of the vote-splitting that handed Tinubu victory in 2023.
Obi’s supporters, naturally, see things differently arguing their man represents a fresher, more compelling alternative. But Momodu isn’t buying it. In his view, experience, networks and resilience are what win presidential elections in Nigeria and on all three counts, he says Atiku has the edge.
With 2027 still on the horizon, the battle lines within the opposition are only just beginning to take shape. But if Momodu has anything to say about it, Atiku Abubakar will be leading the charge.
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