Atiku Lacks 1% of Tinubu’s Campaign Funds

By Emmanuel Kwada

In a revealing interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today (aired Sunday, March 15, 2026), Momodu painted a grim picture of the financial chasm separating opposition figures from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 presidential polls.

Momodu, a former presidential aspirant and vocal backer of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, asserted that Atiku’s resources pale dramatically in comparison to those available to President Bola Tinubu.

“Atiku does not have 1 per cent of Tinubu’s war chest. No, he doesn’t have it. You can imagine how much Tinubu can generate from Lagos State alone, not to talk of national. And when you have an absolute ruler, everything is available to him,” Momodu declared.

He linked this stark imbalance to the APC’s sweeping control over state revenues, federal patronage, and institutional levers, arguing it renders genuine electoral contests increasingly unfeasible.

Momodu warned that Nigeria risks sliding into a de facto one-party state, a development he deemed more dangerous than the military dictatorship of the late General Sani Abacha in the 1990s.

“I will describe this moment as being worse than that of the Abacha government. Many people are worried that we now have virtually a one-party state,” he stated.

The veteran publisher, who has long criticized authoritarian tendencies, rejected notions that opposition leaders cower before Tinubu. Instead, he reversed the narrative: “You asked who is afraid of Tinubu. I would like to answer that question. It is Tinubu who is afraid of Nigerians. That is why they are cooking all kinds of cocktails, which you call strategy.”

Momodu also lambasted the administration’s economic stewardship amid persistent public hardship.

“Nigerians are suffering. I think the Tinubu government is living on another planet. They are not being realistic and have their own delusion of grandeur,” he charged.

Despite acknowledging the daunting odds, Momodu doubled down on his support for Atiku and the necessity of vibrant opposition. He dismissed speculation of any covert deal with Tinubu, emphasizing personal proximity to the president while underscoring principled loyalty.

“It’s easier for me to move to Tinubu than to move to Atiku. I’m one million times closer to Tinubu than to Atiku… But if I’m with Atiku, that should show you that we are people who have a genuine interest in the country. I believe there must be opposition politics and candidates,” he explained.

Momodu’s intervention arrives against a backdrop of accelerating political defections to the APC, diminishing opposition strongholds, and intensifying debates over coalition-building for 2027.

Critics interpret his comments as a clarion call for urgent reforms to level the electoral playing field, strengthen multi-party competition, and safeguard democratic pluralism in Africa’s most populous nation.