2027: Zoning ADC Presidential Ticket To North Would Defeat Tinubu, APC — Dele Momodu
A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and publisher of Ovation magazine Dele Momodu, has said the only way for the party to defeat the President Bola Tinubu led All Progressives Congress APC, is for ADC to zone its presidential ticket to the north ahead of the 2027 elections.
Speaking on Wednesday during his appearance on The Morning Show, a programme on Arise TV, Momodu said the ADC must adopt a strategic approach to defeat the All Progressives Congress (ADC) in 2027.
“My advice to ADC is simple: time is not on our side. I have attempted to contest twice — in 2011 and 2023 — and I know that the head of an elephant is not a child’s play,” Momodu said.
Momodu said defeating President Bola Tinubu in 2027 would require more than popularity, noting that the ADC needs strong coordination and consensus.
The media entrepreneur said the ADC already has experienced contenders, including key figures from the 2023 elections and should not “reinvent the wheel”.
He cited the political strategies that led to the victory of former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, arguing that elections are won through structure and coalition-building rather than sentiment.
“We have in the ADC today, at least two of the leading contestants in the last election. So you do not need to reinvent the wheel. What it takes to win an election is not just the crowd, noise, ideas or how brilliant you are,” he said.
“Go back to the drawing board and look at how Buhari captured power in 2015. Right now, Tinubu is so formidable that you are not just going to produce a candidate who can take him out. It doesn’t work that way.”
The ADC chieftain referenced electoral outcomes in the United States and Liberia, arguing that perceived disadvantages such as age do not necessarily determine electoral success.
“You would remember that Joe Biden was removed from the radar by the Democrats in America. They said he was old and senile. Then the Democrats brought Kamala Harris. She raised a lot of money [for the campaign]. A lot of us really liked her. But at the end of the day, she could not defeat Donald Trump,” he said.
“Everything, including old age, was said against Donald Trump, but he defeated Kamala. In Liberia, where we have Joseph Boakai, the old man was able to take out George Weah, the biggest and most famous Liberian alive.”
When asked to name his preferred presidential aspirant in the ADC, Momodu said Atiku.
“My preference is Atiku. I have never minced words on that,” he said.
He advised the ADC to focus on the north, where there is strong disaffection towards the APC.
“In matters of strategy, ADC must go to a part of the country where there are the most disgruntled people against the APC. The people who worked for Tinubu to become president were partly the Buhari gang. Today, they are angry and disappointed that they have been abandoned,” he said.
“Nasir el-Rufai is languishing in detention, Abubakar Malami is being harassed up and down. So, that team is waiting for ADC to capture. When you go in that direction, you have Atiku, Aminu Tambuwal, el-Rufai and others.
“Let ADC go all out to capture. If you pick Atiku, he comes from the north-east, where the APC currently has the vice-president. But I am sure the north-east, which is a major catchment area, would be very happy to have a president.”
Momodu said zoning the ADC presidential ticket to the north-east, Atiku’s region, would be strategic, adding that the area has not produced a president since the era of Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa.
Hafsoh Isiaq is a graduate of Linguistics. An avid writer committed to creative, high-quality research and news reportage. She has considerable experience in writing and reporting across a variety of platforms including print and online.
